


Dreaming in Darkness

by xpiester333x



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2015-04-18
Packaged: 2018-03-23 14:22:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 79,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3771520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xpiester333x/pseuds/xpiester333x
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Straw Hat Pirates come upon a strange hotel after days of battling against a nasty storm. Exhausted and desperately in need of rest, they decide to investigate. The hotel seems like a dream come true, and the Straw Hats find themselves enthralled with the excellent service and hospitality. But dreams can be dangerous things, especially when they are used to trap you inside your mind, and within the walls of a hotel that may not be what it seems. It's up to Nami and Usopp to free their nakama,  and to find out what secrets might be lurking behind this mystery hotel. Canonverse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's finally here! This is my piece for the 2014/2015 One Piece Big Bang event! I feel like I've been waiting forever to share this, and I'm so happy it's finally time.
> 
> My partner for this fic was the lovely kupocoffee on tumblr! and you can see the art they did for it here : kupocoffee.tumblr.com/post/116720268582/collaboration-with-xpiester333x-s-wonderful
> 
> I had the idea for this fic forever ago when I was listening to Hotel California, and I seriously held on to the idea for so long before this event gave me a chance to write it. So hopefully you'll enjoy!
> 
> Also a huge thank you to caelumxiv for being my beta and whipping my sorry story with weird typos and awkward sentences into shape <3

The weather on the Grand Line was always unpredictable. Half the time is was downright awful, but it wasn’t usually such a big deal. Nami was one of the best, if not _the_ best, navigators in the world. Storms could try to go against her, but Nami could sail them all. Most of the time she was able to find a way around a storm before it even managed to reach them, but sometimes they had no choice but to sail through the squall. Nami guided them carefully during those rare moments, and they usually made it through quickly without even the slightest damage. It was impressive, to say the least, and made travel on the Grand Line incredibly easy for the Straw Hat Pirates.

They were three days out from the last port, too far out to turn around, when Nami felt the change in the wind. The storm picked up, catching the ship in massive, rolling waves within the hour. It had been impossible to navigate around. Nami had tried taking them out of the way several kilometers north in an attempt to avoid it, but the storm was wider than Nami was willing to travel and the only course of action was to batten down the hatches and prepare to sail through it.

 It was a big one. Waves rose over their ship, washing over the deck and threatening to take members of the crew with them. Rain poured down, stinging at their skin and soaking them through. Cold settled into their bones and made them ache.  Nami had predicted it might take a couple of hours to get through, and once they were through the storm, the next island wouldn’t be too far. Being in one island’s steady climate meant calmer waters.

That had been three days ago.

“Namiiiii,” Luffy whined, bouncing his head on the galley’s table. Usopp and Franky hastily restacked the pile of cards that the vibrations were displacing, both sending him very pointed looks. Their irritations went ignored however, and after a brief pause to speak, Luffy continued his bouncing.

“You said it would only take a couple of hours!”

Sanji set a plate of fried meat in front of his captain, smacking Luffy’s hands with a spatula when he pounced on it. Luffy snatched his hand back to his chest and sent Sanji a scornful look, a petulant pout on his face.

“Don’t give Nami-san a hard time.”

“I’m sorry,” Nami apologized  for what might have been the thousandth time in the last few days. She sighed, staring down into the steaming mug of coffee than Sanji had placed in front of her. She couldn’t quite bring herself to meet their eyes.

The storm was taking its toll on everybody. There would be slight breaks like this one, where the ocean would settle a bit and the rain would lighten just a little, and they’d be able to eat a meal or take a nap. Their rest never seemed to last long enough before the wind would pick up again and they’d be scrambling to keep their ship in one piece. Even now, Nami could hear the rain coming down harder than before, and she was sure any minute now Zoro would be calling all hands on deck again.

“Maybe we could use the Coup de Burst to get out of here?” Usopp suggested, picking a card from his hand and placing it on the table in front of Robin with a smug grin.

“SUPER idea, bro!” Franky gave him a thumbs up in approval.

“No, not a super idea,” Nami corrected irritably. She pinched the bridge of her nose. She’d been running on less sleep than anyone because she was the only one who could  navigate them through this. “If we do that we’re likely to get blown away to who knows where. We’re just going to have to sail through it.”

There was a collective sigh from everyone in the galley. Nami bit her lip. She felt guilty for misleading them, and every time she had to shoot down their hope, she felt even worse. It wasn’t her fault, and no one really seemed to blame her, but she knew how tired they were, and how badly they wanted this storm to end.

“I’ll get us through this.”

She hadn’t realized she’d said it out loud until she got a reply.

“Of course you will,” Luffy said, chunks of meat flying from his mouth with the words. He swallowed the rest of his mouthful and grinned broadly at her. “You’re my navigator!”

“There’s no one more competent for the job,” Robin said, looking up from her book and giving Nami a warm smile.

“Yeah, Nami,” Usopp chimed in. “We’re totally counting on you.”

The faith of her captain and crew restored her energy better than a full night’s sleep ever would. She sat up straighter, and for the first time in what felt like days, a hint of a smile stretched her lips. She felt wide awake once more and ready to tackle whatever the storm threw at her next. Her nakama needed her.

“All hands on deck!” Zoro’s called out over the sound of the rain.

Through the galley window, Nami could see that the weather had picked up again. The torrents of rain made it difficult to see, but she could feel the waves had kicked up again. The rocking of the ship beneath her feet was enough to tell her that. The storm was challenging her, testing her resolve. She smirked before taking one last gulp of her coffee.

“All hands on deck!” She repeated.

She would show this storm who was boss.

* * *

 

They came upon the island on the fifth day, if you could even call it that. It was barely a strip of land, a tall strip of rock rising from the sea, with only a single building resting on top. It didn’t even register on the log pose. The ocean’s waves struck mercilessly against the base of the rock, wearing into the side of the jutting cliff, leaving it balanced on only one side. One day, the whole island might crumble into the sea.

The building on the island had seen better days. It was worn down and weather beaten, with some of the windows boarded and hasty repairs made to the siding in an attempt to keep the weather out. It was taller than it was wide, and Nami swore it seemed to sway in the wind, though it could have been a trick of the rain. It didn’t look safe or habitable, but there was a light glowing in the first story window that showed them someone was home.

“Can we go look?” Luffy asked, the thirst for adventure shining in his eyes.

Nami stared at the island skeptically. Though the storm had died down considerably for the moment, it didn’t seem safe to anchor too close to the island. The way the waves beat against the island’s base promised wreckage for their poor ship. On the other hand, if they anchored further out, she doubted they could get up to steep sides of the rock from the mini Merry.

Most of the crew had gathered by the railing to look at the little island with its single building. Their excitement was palpable. A chance to rest and stretch their legs on land was too good to pass up after almost a week of weathering a bad storm.

“It’s not safe to drop anchor here,” she said. Nami could already feel their bitter disappointment. “Let’s sail around the other side and see if it’s better there.”

She hoped for all of their sake’s that it would be. She was just as weary and in need of a break as the rest of them. She wasn’t going to risk their ship for a minute of rest, however, and as tired as the others were, she knew they wouldn’t want that either. If nothing else, the weather had quieted enough to drop anchor some distance away from the island, and maybe get a proper night’s sleep.

It didn’t take long to sail a wide arch around to the other side of the island. The strip of land was so small it only took them maybe ten minutes to get around it, and the other side proved to be worth it. The rock sloped down on that side, creating a small “beach” of crumbled stone. It was low enough to make use of the mini Merry, and would allow them a safe means to get on to the island.

Nami watched the lights of the first floor window as they passed. The entire first floor of the building had been illuminated, so that the light was visible even as they came around the other side of the building. None of the other floors that towered above them were lit. Nami’s apprehension grew has they drew closer to the island. Would the people inside be friend or foe?

Nami had been associated with pirates since she was a little girl, she knew the reputation pirates had with most people. At one point, before she had met Luffy and the others, she had felt the same way about pirates. She knew her crew was not comprised of the same ambitious and blood thirsty pirates that Arlong’s crew had been, but to most people that distinction was nonexistent. Pirates were pirates.

Nami couldn’t blame the people in this building if they didn’t want pirates on their land, but she hoped for everyone’s sake that they would be civil enough to let the Straw Hats on to their island at the very least. It would be trouble if they had to pack up so soon.

“Franky, get the mini Merry ready for us. We’ll drop anchor a little ways out and use the Merry to get to shore,” she instructed.

“Sure thing, Sis!” Franky said.

“Hey! Do you think they’ll have meat?! Do you think they’d make meat for us?” Luffy clapped excitedly.

“You just ate,” Sanji reminded him, his teeth biting down on his cigarette in annoyance.

Nami ignored the others. She was watching the windows of the building carefully. From this distance, she could hardly make anything out. The rain was still sprinkling down, even if the worst of it  had passed. Though she couldn’t see to tell for sure, she felt like there was someone watching them from the windows. She could almost see a figure silhouetted against the light, but she couldn’t be sure if that figure was actually a person or just a piece of furniture.

“What’s wrong, Nami?” Usopp asked, startling Nami out of her thoughts.

“Nothing,” she responded quickly. Too quickly. Usopp gave her a confused look.

“It’s nothing,” she said again, slower. “I’m just wondering how well we’ll be received.”

Usopp nodded, seeming to understand. “Well, just think. What’s the worst that could happen? We have to head back to the ship?”

When he put it that way, her concerns seemed so silly.

“You’re right,” she smiled, turning away from the island. “Let’s go get ready. Once Franky has the mini Merry ready to go, Luffy’s not going to wait.”

Usopp laughed in agreement, heading towards his factory to gather whatever it was he felt he would need. Nami followed him for a moment, splitting off towards the girls’ room for a change of clothes. She turned back just one more time, her eyes seeking out that same silhouette. She watched it for only a second more before shaking it off and turning away.

* * *

 

They waited under a drizzle of rainfall for the last of the crew to be carted ashore. The mini Merry was only built to move a few of them at a time, and fitting the whole crew in there would have been maddening and dangerous. So they made smaller trips, Franky escorting them from the ship to the island in groups of two or three, and then turning back to gather the next group. It took longer, and it was hard to keep Luffy from shooting off like a rocket towards the tall building, but it was the only option.

Franky pulled the last group ashore, and moored the mini Merry to a sturdy looking rock using a stretch of rope. Without the flat wall of rock to slam against, the water on this side of the island proved much less of a threat to the little water craft. Luffy became uncontrollable, bouncing and fidgeting, talking about food and adventure while he tried to reach the building first. Chopper, who had been trying to hold their captain at bay while in heavy point, lost a grip on the rubber man. Luffy went rushing towards the building in a fit of excitement.

Nami eyed the building nervously. Of course Luffy wanted to check it out, it looked like a comically large haunted house. Creepy, scary places like this were, unfortunately, right up on the list of her captain’s favorite places to explore. From up close, the light illuminating the windows seemed to flicker, indicating a fire inside. Nami had to admit, with the chill of the rain and the sea soaking through her clothes and into her bones, a fire sounded awfully tempting. However, the idea of entering the creepiest house Nami had ever seen did not.

A warm hand clamped down on her shoulder. It was trembling slightly.

“Do we really have to go in there?” Usopp asked her in a low voice. “This place gives me the creeps.”

“Me too,” Nami admitted, glad that Usopp shared her opinion on the matter.

Usopp was the only other person on the crew that seemed to contain a healthy level of fear. Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy didn’t know the meaning of the word, and were often in the thickest parts of the worst situations _by choice_. Franky took everything in stride, and Robin had a morbid sense of curiosity and humor that made her fearless. Brook was already dead, so life threatening situations hardly fazed him, and Chopper was naïve enough to believe anything Luffy told him. That left Nami and Usopp to be the only sensible ones on the crew. She was thankful that at least Usopp would hear her fears and understand them.

“Maybe we should turn around now, take the mini Merry back to the ship. There’s no way the others would even notice, look at them.” Usopp gestured to their friends. The crew’s cheerful chatter was a stark contrast to the mysterious, rundown old building in the middle of the sea.

“We can’t,” Nami argued softly. “What if something happens to them and they need our help?”

“Do you realize who you’re talking about?” Usopp asked incredulously.

Nami sighed, and patted the warm hand that was still on her shoulder. It was still trembling. “Come on, Usopp,” she said. “I’ll be there too.”

Usopp whimpered, but she knew he’d come along. He was braver than he let on. He felt the same healthy fear as she did, but he was always there when things were at their worst. He was there for them at Enies Lobby, even when he’d sworn he was leaving the crew. He was the one that had her back the most back on Thriller Bark, back when zombies were chasing after them and when she was attacked by an invisible pervert.

She shuddered. Usopp wasn’t a coward, and it made her feel better to have him by her side.

They approached  the building, following Luffy’s lead to the front door. It was covered by an entrance canopy. The door might have once been a rich red color, but it had been worn down from the constant weathering of the sun and the sea, and had faded to an ugly rose instead. On it, letters had been peeled or torn off by the wind until only a few were visible.

H – O – half a T – L were what remained.

“Hotel?” Chopper guessed in a small voice. “This is a hotel?”

“It doesn’t look like any hotel I want to stay in,” Zoro scoffed, kicking at a piece of debris that littered the front of the building.

“Me either,” Usopp agreed. “It looks like it’s falling apart.”

“Totally, Bro,” Franky agreed. He surveyed the building with the discerning eye of a professional. “I’m not even sure how it’s still standing.”

“Maybe it’s magic,” Robin smiled mysteriously.

“Robin!” Usopp moaned. “Why do you have to say things like that?”

“Come on, guys!” Luffy cried. He was already standing by the front door of the hotel, bouncing excitedly while he waited for his nakama to catch up.

The door towered over them, spanning almost the entire height of the first floor. It was impractically large, and slightly intimidating. Nami could feel Usopp beside her, trembling anew as they drew closer. She had to suppress a shiver herself. Everything about the hotel gave her the creeps, and the sooner they could get out of here, the better. She would take a week in that storm over even an hour in this place.

“Come on, come on, come on.” Luffy was chanting impatiently, hand itching to reach for the doorknob, when the door did him a favor and creaked open on its own.

“I didn’t do it,” Luffy said quickly, stepping away from the door as if to prove his innocence. “It opened by itself.”

“We saw that, dumbass.” Sanji growled.

The door swung inwards, revealing a young, blonde haired woman. She beamed at them, her smile stretching her face almost unnaturally wide. Silence settled between them.

Robin was the first to speak. “Hello,” she said casually, the way she did even when she was uneasy. The mask of unconcern settled easily on her face. “We’re sorry to interrupt your evening.”

“Not at all,” the woman replied cheerfully. “Did you get lost in the storm?”

There was something off about the woman. Though she appeared to be young, her mannerisms and the way she carried herself seemed too old fashioned for a person that couldn’t be older than Robin. Her smile wrinkled her cheeks, and her teeth were unnaturally white and straight. Her eyes were large, bright, but devoid of emotion. Her expression looked almost frozen except for when she spoke.

“Not lost.” Robin spared a smile for Nami. “But we have been traveling through it for some time, and we’re a little weary.”

“Oh my!” the woman exclaimed. “Then by all means you must come in for a rest.”

“We don’t intend to stay long,” Robin added.

The woman’s smile fell, just a fraction. It was almost unnoticeable, but Nami caught it. Before she could put much thought into it, however, the woman smiled with renewed brightness.

“Well, you must stay for a meal at least, we insist!” the woman said.

Robin and Nami exchanged a glance, and Nami could see the archaeologist had noticed something off about the woman as well. Before either of them got the chance to voice their concerns, however, Luffy had already shot off past the woman, drool forming at the corners of his mouth at the mention of food.

Sanji sighed at his captain’s idiocy, and stepped forward from the group.

“My lady.” Sanji bowed deeply to the woman. “You are an angel sent from the heavens in our time of need. If there is anyway a gentleman such as myself can repay your kindness, I would be most honored to do it.”

Before the woman could make her reply, Sanji was forced into the hotel by a swift kick from Zoro.

“Hurry it up, cook. The rest of us want to get out of the rain,” the swordsman groused, stepping over the cook’s sprawled form.

The woman looked entirely unfazed by both Sanji’s flirtations and Zoro’s display of violence, a smile still stretched across her face as she welcomed them in. Robin sent Nami one last significant look before she followed Franky inside, a look warned her to keep her guard up.

Nami took a deep breath as she stared into the hotel beyond the doorway. She could see the flickering of firelight casting dancing shadows over her nakama. Their smiles were easier and more free flowing at the moment than she had seen them in days, and though Nami knew there was something wrong about this situation, she knew for their sake she would have to step inside. Every muscle in her body seemed to tense as she made her first step, but she grit her teeth in determination and forced herself to take another.

She made the mistake of casting one more suspicious glance as the woman as she passed her. She beamed at Nami, making her freeze momentarily in front of the door. The woman’s figure reminded her exactly of the silhouette that had been watching their approach from the first floor window. Had this woman stood still for so long, waiting for them to arrive?

A chill of unease ran down Nami’s spine.

“Hey, Nami…”

A hand settled on her shoulder, warmer than the chill air around them and comforting in it’s familiarity. It eased her uncertainty and she looked away from the woman to her friend gratefully.

“Everything okay?” Usopp asked.

“It’s fine,” she said, smiling back at him. “Sorry.”

She spared the smiling woman one last glance before following the others into the hotel, trying to ignore the sensation of being watched as she did so

* * *

 

The inside of the hotel seemed much brighter and better cared for than the outside. The furniture and decorations of the main lobby were several decades outdated, but the chairs looked plush and comfortable, and there was a fire blazing in a large stone fireplace. The heat was most welcome after the chill of the rain and the sea spray.

Chopper was the first to rush to the fireplace. “Finally,” he said, sighing with contentment. “A chance to dry out my fur!”

“Don’t burn yourself,” Zoro warned, watching warily as Chopper leaned further over the hearth.

“Yohoho! Let me join you Chopper! I’m soaked to the bone! Ah, skull joke!”

Luffy laughed tucking himself down next to Chopper. “Good one, Brook!”

“Luffy!” Sanji hissed, just barely managing to catch his captain by the collar of his shirt as his balance teetered closer to the fire.

Luffy chuckled. “Thanks, Sanji!”

“Luffy,” Robin called. She stood by one of the larger armchairs in the room. “Perhaps you’d like to try sitting on this? It’s quite springy.”

Her diversion worked, and Luffy quickly made a game of seeing how high he could bounce.

While the others settled around the fire or watched Luffy’s game, Nami hung back, taking in the details of the room. Though outdated and gaudy, the decorations of the room were clean and cared for. Given the appearance of the outside of the building, Nami expected the inside to be filled with broken furniture and covered in a thick layer of dust, but that was not the case. Once upon a time, this place might have been quite impressive: the taste of the interior design suggested an expensive palette. However, given the hotel’s location and the rundown, broken appearance of the outside, Nami didn’t think this place had seen any guests in years.

“My name is Elizabeth and I will be your hostess for this evening,” the smiling woman announced, startling them with her sudden arrival. Nami had been so distracted by the furnishings she hadn’t even heard the front door close.

“If you’ll come this way, we’ll have a meal prepared for you shortly.” Elizabeth gestured to a doorway off to the side of the main lobby.

“Yay, food!” Luffy cried, following the woman’s direction.

“Wait!” Nami called, reaching after him and just barely managing to catch the string that kept his hat looped around his neck.

Luffy halted in his tracks, turning a curious eye back to his navigator.

“We don’t have any money,” Nami said.

It was a lie, of course. She always made sure they had some money set aside for emergencies and supplies. She wasn’t about to hand any of that over for one meal, however, not when they had food on the ship and a competent cook of their own. The idea had been to rest for a bit on the island, not pay for a meal in some strange hotel.

Elizabeth’s smile never faded. “Of course the meal will be free of charge,” she explained cheerfully. “We don’t get many guests here, and we want to make sure those that manage to find their way here are fully cared for.”

“Even without pay?” Robin asked, her tone incredulous. “I have a hard time believing that.”

Elizabeth turned the full effect of her stare on Robin, and for one moment her eerie smile fell.

“Is it so hard to believe we just want to help people on their journeys?” She asked.

The room was silent for a moment, the atmosphere tense and thick as Robin and the woman continued to stare at each other. Nami swallowed, there was something dangerous burning in Robin’s brown and blue eyes, but the moment her friend blinked, it was gone.

“I suppose there is no problem then,” Robin said, her voice cool and neutral.

Elizabeth’s smile reappeared in a flash. “Then if you’ll follow me, I’ll see to it that our chefs prepare you a full course meal.”

Luffy cheered and followed as fast as his feet would carry him, and the others followed behind him. Robin stood in her place for a moment, glaring at the doorway Elizabeth had just disappeared through before shaking her head and following after their captain.

“That was intense,” Usopp said, sliding up beside Nami.

“Yeah,” Nami agreed. Her eyes followed Robin as she went, but the archaeologist didn’t seem to have any other objections for the moment.

“Still, a free meal?” Usopp said. “You must be happy.”

“Yeah,” Nami agreed again. She was too distracted to offer anything more. There was something strange here, and it made her uneasy. But Usopp was right. A free meal would keep Luffy full for a little while, and save them both food and money. “Yeah,” she said again, this time with more enthusiasm.

Usopp shared a smile with her before they both followed the others into the other room.  

* * *

 

The long dining table was lined with a row of candles, which helped to light the room along with another massive fireplace. However the candles had to be removed, on Franky’s insisting, or else Luffy would burn the whole building down. Though the fire blazed brightly, there was something about the firelight that gave a creepy atmosphere to the room. Maybe Nami was just spoiled by the electrical lights Franky had put in the galley, or maybe it was the dark wood of the table and the dark red carpeting below their feet that seemed to grab at the shadows and stretch them further. It didn’t have the usual cheery atmosphere that their dinner tables held.

Though the storm clouds were thick and evening was coming on fast, the lack of windows in the dining room was disconcerting. There wasn’t much time to dwell on it though. Dinner was served to them almost the moment they sat down, which was strange since they had only just arrived. Surely there wasn’t time to prepare a meal for nine.

The moment the plates hit the table, however, the fight to protect their food from Luffy’s wandering hands was on. Nami lost her train of thought in the battle to protect her soup, and the rest of the troubles seemed to fade away as soon as she took the first bite of her meal. The food was delicious, impressive enough to rival Sanji’s.

“Mademoiselle,” Sanji called to Elizabeth. Apart from being the hostess she also seemed to be the waitress. Nami wasn’t surprised. A place like this in the middle of nowhere must have been short on staff.

“The food is simply divine,” Sanji said, once he had their hostess’ attention. He was practically melting in his seat under her smile. “I would love to have a word with the chef about this. You know, I’m a cook myself.”

“Oh, I’m very sorry, our chefs will be going home soon” Elizabeth said.

“Going… home?” Sanji asked.

“Yes,” Elizabeth beamed down at him. “But I’m sure tomorrow they would love to talk with you. Maybe you could help them prepare!”

“Yes!” Sanji agreed, dancing in his seat. All traces of confusion were gone from his eyes, only his passionate love for the blonde woman remained.

Nami felt her own confusion fading away as well, and for the first time since they had landed on this small island, she let herself relax. The tension drained from her muscles as she settled into her chair. It was worded strangely, considering this was the only building on this tiny rock of an island. But perhaps the others employed at this hotel simply rented out rooms here to stay in. “Going home” could be as simple as going upstairs. Nami decided not to worry too much about the meaning behind Elizabeth’s words, instead turning her attention back to their delicious meal.

The dishes seemed never ending. Even when one was emptied, another, heaped with steaming meats and vegetables, appeared in its place. It was a meal perfect for someone like Luffy who could eat endlessly without a care, and perfect for the rest of them who could eat in peace, assured that even if Luffy stole from them there would be more to come. They had gotten used to eating quickly in between dangerous situations, so a full sized meal eaten in peace was exactly what they needed.

The once quiet meal quickly turned into a typical Straw Hat event, if not slightly more reserved than usual. Brook had brought his violin with him, and played them tunes while the rowdier members of their crew began to dance and sing in horrible, off key voices. Nami laughed and clapped along, cheering on their performance as Luffy and Usopp danced arm-in-arm and sang in harmony. Even Robin, who was still sending suspicious looks Elizabeth’s way, was convinced to dance with Franky for a song.

“This is great!” Usopp laughed, dropping into the seat next to Nami. He was out of breath, but wore a lazy, contented smile.

“Yeah.” Nami smiled, glancing around the room. Zoro was allowing Chopper to lead him in some kind of dance, and Sanji had traded places with Franky for a chance to dance with Robin. All of them wore brilliant smiles and looked at ease for the first time in days.

“You did a good job leading us here,” Usopp said.

Nami paused. Did she lead them here? She tried to remember. Hadn’t they come across this place by accident? She glanced at her wrist, where her log pose sat. The needle was pointing somewhere west-northwest, and didn’t look at all like it was registering the island’s magnetic field. The log pose hadn’t led them here… Didn’t they find this place by accident?

“Usopp, I didn’t lead us here,” she said.

“You didn’t?” Usopp looked confused for a moment before he shrugged. “Oh well, I’m glad we came here anyway.”

“Yeah.” Nami smiled again. “Me too.”

* * *

 

It was hours before the Straw Hats started to run out of energy and things began to quiet down. The fire had died outin the fireplace, and the room was dark save for the dim glowing of the embers. The dancing had stopped, and Brook had changed his music from upbeat sea shanties to gentle lullabies.

“Perhaps you are ready to retire for the night?” Elizabeth asked. It was as if she had melted from the wall. Where no one had stood before, she was suddenly there without a sound. The dim glow from the fireplace lit the wide smile on her face and added a warm glow to her eyes.

“We don’t have any money,” Nami protested weakly. Truthfully, she wanted nothing more than to fall into a thick, comfortable mattress and sleep for the rest of the night. She wasn’t keen on the idea of returning to the ship, where the storm’s waves would hardly give her a moment’s rest. But the idea of shelling out money for a hotel had always been written as a fierce ‘no’ in her book. As tired as she was, she stuck by the book.

“Of course there would be no charge,” Elizabeth said. “We simply want to see you well rested.”

There it was again, the itching feeling in the back of Nami’s mind that something was definitely wrong here. She just couldn’t put her finger on what. It pricked at her mind, like there was something she wasn’t supposed to forget, but try as she might she couldn’t remember. She was too tired to think about it anymore.

“Yes,” Robin spoke, shifting a half-sleeping Chopper in her lap. “I think we are ready to retire for the night.”

“Splendid!” Elizabeth said. “Then if you’ll all follow me, I’ll show you to your rooms.”

They did as their hostess said, too tired to do anything else but follow her. All of them were ready to fall asleep. Usopp even stumbled a few times, tripping over his feet as he dozed while walking. Luffy might have already been asleep.

Elizabeth led them back into the main lobby and then off through another doorway, one that led down into a long hallway. About half way down, she stopped in front of an ornately carved wooden door.

“Here you are, Miss Navigator,” Elizabeth said, turning to face Nami. “This will be your room for the night.”

Nami pushed the door open and peeked inside. The room was light and airy, decorated in whites and creams with accents of pale orange. A lush white carpet lined the floor and matching drapes hung in front of the windows, thick enough to block out even the brightest sunlight. One side of the room led off to a small washroom area.  Nami almost cried at the idea of having her own washroom. At the moment, however, she only had eyes for one thing: A large, four-poster bed in the center of the room. It looked unbelievably comfortable, and Nami wanted nothing more than to sink into the bed’s thick blankets and sleep for a hundred years.

“Pleasant dreams,” Elizabeth said, sparing Nami one last smile. “Now if the rest of you will follow me…”

Nami let the rest of the sentence drown out as she entered the room, the door falling shut behind her. She immediately bee-lined for the bed, letting her body free fall onto the mattress and soaking up the impossible comfort. The sheets gave off a familiar, tangy fragrance that reminded her of fresh tangerines from the grove back on Cocoyashi. Nami inhaled deeply, the smell putting her very soul at ease.

Nami kicked off her shoes in a hurry, climbing into the bed properly and burying herself under the scented sheets. She could feel her consciousness fading the moment her head hit the pillows, and she gladly let it pull her away into sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Nami sat at her desk, surrounded by glittering diamonds that refracted light in every direction. Gems of every color and value, from the rarest to the most common, and  gold enough to have paid for her village ten times over. Nami sighed with pleasure as she stared into the crystal surface of a diamond. She relished the value of her commodities. Her world map had been more than a success: the world’s leaders had tripped over themselves to acquire it. They had thrown the entirety of their fortunes at her for the chance to have her recently finished map. It was the only map of its kind, after all. Nami had created the first full map of the world, a dream come true, and as a result she had become a very rich woman indeed.

“Miss Nami,” one of the maids called for her, “should I draw you a bath?”

Nami put down the diamond she had been examining, and took the eyeglass from her eye. It was a quality diamond, if not a little small, but there was no need to hide it away. Even if someone stole it from her, she had a hundred others like it in her basement’s vault. Her wealth was limitless.

“That would be lovely, thank you.” Nami spared the maid a smile. A bath sounded like a magnificent idea, she was feeling a little tired anyway.

With a final nod, the maid left her alone with her account books. Nami smiled at them fondly, taking one of the older ones from the stack and flipping through its pages.. She remembered a time in her life when she would have done anything to acquire money. She’d steal, lie, even murder if she had to. Well, maybe not murder. She never could bring herself to go that far, but at the time, who knew? Money had been her ticket to freedom; she would have gone to any lengths to get it, and even when she had a comfortable sum, it was never enough.

But those days were past. She had enough now, more than enough. With money came power, control, and freedom. Her family back on Cocoyashi was safe. Arlong was gone, banished by the powers of the world. Who knows where they had sent him, she didn’t bother to ask. As long as he no longer had the means to harm her friends and family, that was all that mattered. Money had bought her both safety and peace of mind. Whoever had said  money couldn’t buy happiness was full of shit.

She sighed, placing the last of the jewels on her desk into a small box. She’d finish appraising its value later. A bath was in order first.

She climbed the stairs of her home, tracing her fingers along the fine wooden railing. The carpet beneath her feet was soft and plush, and the paintings along the walls were original copies of the finest works, all framed in gold. Her home was large and lavish for just one person to be living in, but she had the money to purchase it, so why not? It was the home she had dreamed about as a child. She felt like a princess living in such a grand estate. She had once invited Bellemere and Nojiko to live here, but they had turned her down. It didn’t surprise her; this was not the kind of lifestyle that would have suited Bellemere anyway.

“Oh, Miss Nami!” The same maid as before was returning from the bathroom. “I would have come get you when the bath was ready.”

“I got a little bored.” Nami shrugged.

“The bath is almost ready.” The maid gave her a short bow.

Nami knew almost nothing about the girl. She frowned. It was strange that she had never gotten to know any of her staff very well. They were hired by an agency and worked around her, causing as little disturbance as possible, but Nami had never once found herself in a real conversation with one. Wasn’t that strange? Nami was usually outgoing; she wasn’t shy by any means, and while she liked the quiet when she was working or resting, she was usually social in her spare time.

“What’s your name?” she asked her maid curiously.

“My name?” The girl looked shocked to be asked such a basic question. Nami wasn’t even sure how long the girl had worked for her. The girl’s brown eyes were so warm, they reminded her of the desert sun, but the way her blue hair spilled over her shoulders and down her back was reminiscent of rain. For a moment she swore she could see the scene before her; a barren landscape drinking in its much needed rainfall, but when she blinked the image was gone.

“My name is Vivi,” the maid responded, ducking her head politely.

“Are you from Alabasta?” Nami asked.

“I am,” Vivi replied, looking surprise. “You could tell?”

“I did map the world.” Nami winked and laughed. “Something about your name reminded me of it.”

Vivi smiled, but the smile fell quickly from her face. “There isn’t much left there now,” she said sadly. “My family could no longer make a living there, so I came here for work.”

Nami could only vaguely remember Alabasta. It was mostly desert, she remembered that much, and there was a drought. Nami couldn’t imagine living for very long in that country, but the people had been very friendly and accommodating.

“It was a nice place,” Nami said. It was a half-truth anyway.

“Thank you.” Vivi nodded. She smiled again, a soft but genuine smile. “Your bath should be ready now.”

Nami smiled, things felt right again. “Thank you.” Nami gave a final nod before heading towards the bathroom. A bath still sounded fantastic.

* * *

 

Nami trailed her fingers lazily through the water, feeling its slight resistance as she swirled it around the tub. She pulled her fingers from the small whirlpool they had created. They were white and wrinkled. She’d been sitting in the tub for so long that the water was beginning to cool, but she didn’t feel inclined to get out just yet. She sighed, sinking lower into the water. Truthfully, she felt bored again. Not just with the bath; nothing she could think to do next sounded fun to her. She didn’t want to return to appraising diamonds and gold, but she didn’t want to spend the day in her library reading again either. The gardens were in bloom and stunningly gorgeous, but if she had to spend another minute around the pollen she would sneeze herself to death. Absolutely nothing sounded appealing to her at the moment.

“Miss Nami?” A voice carried through the door. “Are you okay?”

“Vivi?” Nami asked, just to be sure. The voice was familiar, though Nami didn’t spend much of her time speaking to her help. “Come in here.”

“Is something wrong, Miss—oh.” Vivi turned away quickly, averting her eyes. Nami chuckled at the girl’s bashfulness. It wasn’t as if Nami had anything that Vivi didn’t; they were both women after all. And besides that, the water was still sudsy from the bubble bath mixture. There was nothing to see even if Vivi had wanted a glimpse.

Maybe the idea of nudity made the poor girl feel uncomfortable. Nami had never been shy about such things (though she’d charge anyone who tried to catch a peek), but that didn’t mean other people felt the same.

“Sorry, Vivi.” Nami stood, reaching for a nearby towel and wrapping it around herself. “I’m decent now.”

“Is everything okay?” Vivi asked, turning back to her employer. She still looked embarrassed by Nami’s state of undress, but she didn’t turn around again.

“Everything’s fine,” Nami assured her. “I’m just a little bored.”

“Bored again?” Vivi laughed before quickly cutting herself off. “I’m sorry, Miss.”

“Don’t be.” Nami shared a smile with the girl.

“What can I get for you, Miss?” Vivi asked. “Perhaps you’d like a book to read?”

“I’m sick of reading,” Nami said, a petulant pout on her face.

“Then maybe you’d like me to get the jewels from your study?” Vivi suggested.

“No,” Nami said. “I’m tired of those too.”

Vivi paused a moment, thinking over her options. “Well… you never did finish that map to the mansion.”

Nami sighed. Even mapmaking didn’t sound appealing right now. The indescribable sensation of boredom created an itch under her skin that she couldn’t scratch. She had a need for something else… but what it was, she couldn’t figure out.

“Maybe… you’d like to play a game?” Vivi guessed.

“What kind of game?” Nami asked, intrigued.

“I’m not sure, but I can think of a few we can play.”

“Can we play for cash?” Nami asked, a grin spreading on her face.

Vivi winced a little. “If you go easy on me?”

“Deal!” Nami stepped out of the tub. “Let me get dressed, and I’ll meet you in the library.”

* * *

 

“I win!” Nami declared, showing her winning hand to Vivi.

“Ouch.” Vivi chuckled. “I’m out almost a whole week’s wages now.”

Nami sighed listlessly, dropping her cards onto the table. “I wouldn’t really take them from you,” she said, resting her chin in her hand and leaning her elbow on the table. She could feel the pull of boredom threatening to consume her again, as the thrill of their most recent attempt at play faded fast away.

This was not the first round of cards they had played in the small library, nor was it the first game they had given a go today. They had tried games like charades, word games, treasure hunt games, and had even convinced a few of the other maids to come play an outdoor game with them. Cards was the last in a long list of things they had tried today, but none of them had helped.

Nami could still feel that nagging sensation in her mind, like there was something she was supposed to be doing. It was like missing an appointment: she knew there was somewhere she needed to be, but she had forgotten where.

“Miss Nami?” Vivi called her attention back. “Would you like to play again?”

“No.” Nami shook her head. Her brow furrowed as she tried to pick apart the feeling. Maybe if she focused on it long enough or hard enough she could make sense of what it was trying to tell her.

“Miss Nami?” Vivi interrupted again.

Nami turned to the maid, frustrated by her interruptions, but the girl was staring at her with concerned brown eyes. Vivi was just trying to help. She had been trying all day to cheer her up, and Nami would be heartless to reject the girl for that.

“I’m fine,” she assured Vivi with a smile.

“Oh, good,” Vivi said with relief. “Would you like to play something else? Or maybe we should find something else to do?”

Nami considered it for a moment: She didn’t want to be cooped up anymore, that much was for sure, so maybe it would do her some good to get out of the house. She couldn’t remember the last time she had gone into town since the maids had taken over all the shopping for her. She couldn’t seem to recall what the town looked like, much less how to get there, and that was saying something; she was an excellent navigator.

“Vivi, could we go out?”

“Out?” Vivi repeated. “You mean outside? Of course, Miss. Perhaps you’d like to—“

“I meant out into town,” Nami interrupted. “I’d like to go shopping.”

Vivi frowned. “Shopping? Miss, if there is anything you need from town, I’d be happy to get it for you. There’s no need for you to go yourself.”

“I want to go myself,” Nami said firmly. The uncomfortable, itching feeling continued to nag at her, making her need to get out more dire. “I need to get out of the house for a little bit. It will be good for me. I’d like you to accompany me though.”

An unsettled look fell over Vivi’s face. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

“Why not?” Nami asked in indignation, her voice rising slightly in her panic. Her hands balled into shaking fists on the tabled, and pounded against the wood in her frustration “Why shouldn’t I do my own shopping?”

“Miss Nami, please calm down.” Vivi raised her hands in a placating manner, her eyes wide with surprise and traces of worry.

“I’m sorry,” Nami said softly. “I’m just a little stir crazy, I guess.”

Vivi nodded in understanding and stood. “You are a very important person though, Miss,” she said, moving to one of the bookshelves where Nami kept a small collection of compasses and log poses that she’d saved over her years of travel. A few were damaged and unusable, but they had all served her well at some point, so she kept them regardless of their functionality.

“We don’t want anything bad to happen to you,” Vivi continued, inspecting one of the compasses as she spoke. “It’s very dangerous in town; there are crooks and vagabonds around every corner. It’s not safe for someone of your status there.”

“Isn’t it dangerous for you also, then?” Nami asked.

“Our clothes pretty much guarantee us safety,” Vivi explained, a sheepish smile on her face as she tugged self-consciously at her uniform. It was nothing remarkable: a simple pair of black slacks and a button up black shirt. Very simple but easy to move around in. “Anyone can tell we work as housekeepers or service workers, and probably don’t have much value. So they usually leave us alone.”

“So lend me one of your uniforms!” Nami suggested brightly. “Then they’d have no reason to single me out.”

“I’d rather not.” Vivi grimaced. “Miss Nami, I really don’t want anything to happen to you. Please, just stay here. I’ll do your shopping for you.”

Nami wanted to argue, but the look on Vivi’s face made it impossible. She looked earnest and concerned. Nami had only just started speaking to Vivi today, but she already considered the blue haired Alabastan girl a friend. Maybe it was only because Nami was her employer, but by the look on Vivi’s face it was safe to assume she felt the same.

Nami sighed. “I just want to leave the house.”

“Why would you want that?” Vivi asked, turning to Nami. “You have everything you could ever dream of right here. You created a map of the world, your wealth is beyond compare, and…” She stepped closer, taking Nami’s hand in her own. “You have a friend. What more could you want?”

Nami frowned, looking into Vivi’s eyes. She looked so sincere, but there was a kind of dull, rehearsed quality to the way she spoke that didn’t feel right to Nami. Nami was wealthy, but the entirety of her fortune was useless if she couldn’t even escape her own home for an hour. And her friend, though Vivi seemed very sweet and earnest, was someone Nami paid to come here. They wouldn’t have met otherwise. Nami never met anyone new these days.

“What’s the point of having all this money if I can’t even spend it?” Nami asked. “What’s the point of any of this if I’m just a prisoner again?”

The sound of glass shattering tore Nami from her thoughts. One of her log poses lay on the floor, the broken shards of glass glittering in the weakly filtered light. Nami watched in shock as another rolled from the shelf to join it. One by one, all of her compasses and log poses fell from the shelf.

“What’s happening?” She tried to ask, but the words came out garbled and thick, the noises undistinguishable as speech.

Vivi still had a hold of her hand. Nami attempted to pull herself free, meaning to go over and see what had happened to her bookshelf, but Vivi’s grip only tightened. Nami’s hand was beginning to hurt because Vivi was squeezing so hard. Nami looked up to the girl, her eyes beseeching, trying wordlessly to convey her pain to the girl she thought was her friend.

Nami looked around in horror. The library windows cracked and shattered, and a strong wind ripped at the pages of books, sending them swirling around the room. Nami’s hair whipped in every direction, as did Vivi’s , blue and orange threading together in the whirlwind. The room was shaking as if there were an earthquake, sending bookshelves toppling over. She was afraid, and she wanted to get out of here, but Vivi wouldn’t release her hand.

“Why did you say that?” Vivi asked. Her voice was oddly calm and rang out clear above the noise of the shattering glass and the swirling wind. “You aren’t supposed to think that way.”

“What?!” Nami managed to get the one word out, but it sounded strangely distorted and came out muffled, nearly inaudible.

“At least I still have the others.”

Vivi gave her a sad look, squeezing Nami’s hand so hard it might break.

* * *

 

Nami gasped and her eyes snapped open. She sat up immediately, throwing the covers off. What had happened? Where was she? Where was Vivi?

Her hand throbbed, and Nami hissed, cradling it against her chest rubbing at her tingling flesh. She must have fallen asleep on it, and now circulation was returning to her poor fingers.

The pain helped bring her back to reality, and she looked around the room with some surprise. It was different. The room Nami had fallen asleep in had been lavishly decorated with lush furniture, thick drapes, and a soft carpet. Everything had been clean, and the whites, creams, and oranges, had been vibrant. It had smelled faintly of tangerines, and Nami had fallen in love with it instantly. She distinctly remembered thinking that the room was truly beautiful, and collapsing happily into bed. The room Nami sat in now, however, was a far cry from the room she remembered.

She quickly pushed the dingy blankets further away in disgust, revealing a lumpy mattress grey with age. The thick drapes were moldy and hung in tatters. Rain splashed onto the windows, blurring the swirling sea that could barely be seen outside; it seemed the weather was taking a turn for the worse again.

Nami stood from the bed. The white carpet wasn’t white at all; it was an awful grey-brown like the color of dust accumulated over many years. It was worn down and completely barren in some places. The furniture was moth-eaten and broken, and debris littered the floor. The room looked like it hadn’t been used in at least a decade. Nami realized it matched the crumbling, broken structure of the outside of building now. She had thought it was strange the inside was so well cared for in comparison.

In the aftermath of her dream Nami was having a hard time determining what was real anymore. The island itself was obviously real, as was the hotel, at least to some extent. But what about the rest of it? Was everything that had happened last night merely an illusion?

She was _so_ glad she wasn’t paying for this.

“At least I still have the others.”

The last words of dream-Vivi echoed around in her head. Nami’s stomach sank with dread, the plight of her missing nakama suddenly the forethought of her mind. Something or someone had done something to them, was still doing something to her crew, and she didn’t know what or why.

She shook her head, trying to dispel the last of the thick fog of sleep that clung to her. She didn’t know what was happening, but it was safe to assume that her crew was in trouble, and she couldn’t waste any more time. She needed to find them.

But the last tendrils of sleep refused to let her go. They beckoned her back to the bed, called to her subconscious for her return. It was as if something were trying to pull her back into her slumber, and back into her dream. She resolutely ignored the pulling sensation, making for the washroom instead. A quick shower would no doubt wash the remains of that feeling away.

The washroom was in no better shape than the rest of the room. Mold grew in dark clumps on the ceiling above her head, and the mirror was cracked, large pieces missing from the frame. Nami grimaced at the mold and rust stained tub before she reached out and turned the tap on. Thick reddish muck spewed from the mouth of the faucet, and a sickening metallic odor filled the air. Nami made a noise of disgust and quickly turned it off. The pipes were rusted out, she guessed. Whatever the problem was, a shower was out of the question.

She sighed, disappointed. She had been sleeping in that dirty, lumpy bed, and now she could feel the sticky sensation of it clinging to her skin. She dreaded the thought of having to spend the day like this. Maybe she could go back to the Sunny and shower before she started seeking out her nakama. It was most likely they were all sleeping right now, so they would probably be okay.

She was quick to toss that idea out the window. She couldn’t leave her nakama here, not when there was obviously something up with this place. She’d have to go get them first before she showered. She took a moment to tie her hair back before deciding her next course of action.

She didn’t actually know where any of her nakama were since she had been the first one to which Elizabeth had assigned a room She did recall the building went up several stories, and she remembered that the hallway to her room was long and lined with other doors the whole way. Nami estimated there had to be at least forty-five other rooms in this hotel and the realization made her groan. She seriously hoped her nakama were all close by, or it was going to be a while before she got that shower.

Nami had to force the rusted, broken hinges of the door to open wide enough to let her exit the room. The carvings on the door that had stood out so beautifully the night before were worn away or chipped off, and she had to be careful to avoid splinters.

The hallway was dark, lit only by a single dying candle in a holder on the wall. The small flickering flame threw shadows around, and provided barely enough light to illuminate the debris that lay strewn about. Pieces of glass and broken furniture made up the majority of the mess, while fragments of wood and long curls of torn wallpaper littered the floor. A layer of dust settled over the mess.

It looked as if a tornado had swept through the interior of the hotel, or perhaps the last guests had done their best to destroy the place before they left. Whatever had happened, it had happened a long time ago. The dust looked undisturbed, not even footprints left by her nakama had had displaced it.

Nami carefully edged around the broken pieces of what used to be a chair. The closest door to her own was right across the hallway, and there was no better place to start looking for her nakama than right there. She carefully treaded the debris, almost tripping on a fold of carpeting, but landed against the firm surface of the door she had been trying to reach.

The door was in better shape than her own, at least most of the carvings on it had survived. She reached for the knob and turned… only to find it locked. She tried again, twisting the other way and giving it a shake. Nothing. She huffed with annoyance. She hoped it wasn’t one of her nakama in there. The lock would be a bitch to try and pick, especially with the limited supplies she had.

The door to her own room hadn’t been locked though. The hinges were in poor condition and the door had been difficult to open as a result, but she had never needed to flick the lock on it. If her own room had never been locked, she had no reason to expect her nakama’s would be either.

Nami continued her way down the hallway. For now, she would try some other doors, and if she found them all to be locked she’d deal with that then.  Her steps were testing and careful, making for slow progress. The last thing she wanted was to trip and fall onto some of the glass that littered the floor, or to slip and twist her ankle.  An injury like that could be a massive problem for her, so even if it took her all night, she’d take her time around the debris.

The faint light from the single candle faded away as Nami went, only to be replaced by the faint glow of another. The candles were the only evidence she had that the hotel was not uninhabited. The idea sent a chill up her spine.

She swallowed down a little shriek of fear as her arm brushed up against a cobweb. She took a deep breath; she couldn’t panic just yet. She’d find one of the others first, preferably Zoro, Luffy, or Sanji, and then she’d allow herself to freak out.

The hallway ended at a floor to ceiling window. The glass was cracked but remained in its panes. The glass held solid beneath her fingers when she pushed against it, not budging in the slightest even where the cracks ran abundant webs throughout and it looked most fragile.

To her right was a staircase leading towards the next floor. There was no way to go but up, Nami decided, and carefully began to climb the steps. The wood protested beneath her feet, and the steps were broken in several places. She tested each step carefully as she went, making sure it wouldn’t give out beneath her weight. Every step was nerve-wracking, and she nearly cried in relief when she finally reached the second floor.

The second floor was not in much better condition than the first floor, but there were less obstacles in the way. More candle sconces were mounted on the walls, giving the hallways a brighter look. Nami still picked her way carefully across the floor, even more so now that she was on the second level. She would hate to step on a rotten patch of flooring and find herself crashing back down through the first floor ceiling. Despite the abuse the hotel had taken, however, the floor seemed to hold up rather well. There was something to be said for old architecture, Nami mused.

The first door she came across had been blown off its hinges and hung askew across the open doorway. Thick boards and a pile of discarded furniture helped keep the door in place, blocking the entrance to the room. Nami peered into the blackness beyond the candlelight, trying to make out if one of her nakama were trapped inside.

She couldn’t see beyond the doorway, but an icy breeze rolled out of the slight opening, caressing her face as it passed. Nami shuddered. The dark room with its untold contents was way too creepy for her. She backed away. She’d try her luck with one of the other doors on this floor. If one of her nakama were sleeping in that dark room… well, she’d find them later.

The next two doors Nami came across were locked. Just like before, the locked doors on this floor didn’t even so much as budge in their frames. She glared at them. It was a useless act but she was beginning to get frustrated. She was also very creeped out, as she could still hear the occasional breeze coming from the dark room at the end of the hall. It sounded like whispers of breath, and Nami wanted nothing more than to cry and take refuge on the Sunny.

She hit a stroke of luck on the fourth door. The handle turned, and the wood groaned in complaint when she pushed against it. This door was stuck, not locked. It looked as if the wood had swelled and warped. Moisture and temperature, along with years of disuse, had changed its shape and made opening it a new kind of challenge. She took a deep breath and pushed, putting all her weight into it, trying to force the door open. The wooden door barely scraped against its frame. She huffed in agitation. She wished Zoro was here to cut it down, or Sanji to kick the door from its frame, but it was just her. She was going to have to manage on her own.

She dug through the surrounding debris for something to help. An axe would be most convenient, but she’d take anything that could knock a door down. Unfortunately, nothing looked promising, unless she tried to beat the door down with a rotting board. Not likely.

She squared off against the door again. It couldn’t be impossible to open, it was just stuck. It was just going to take some brute force to get into it. Nami was strong, she could handle it, or so she told herself. She took a few steps back, then rushed at the door and threw herself against it. Her feet skidded across the rotting carpeting as she fought for purchase and pushed against the door with all she had.

The wood creaked, groaned, and with one satisfactory _pop_ , the door flew open and Nami spilled into the room.

 


	3. Chapter 3

The village was quiet and peaceful, filled with homes that had flowers growing in pots on the window sills and in the gardens. The grass surrounding the buildings was lush and green, and she could smell the tang of salt that could only mean the ocean was nearby. In fact, the beach was fifteen degrees south from here, and if she started walking that way, she’d be there in less than ten minutes. Nami knew this because she’d been here before. This was Syrup Village.

Nami turned around to face the way she had just come. The door she had fallen through was nowhere to be seen. Instead, behind her was a nice little restaurant she, Zoro, and Luffy had visited for lunch more than two years ago. A shout echoed from inside the restaurant, and Nami watched as Usopp’s little friends, the former members of his “pirate crew”, spilled out the front door, tripping over themselves in their haste to escape. They were followed closely by the restaurant’s proprietress, an angry frown twisted on her lips as she brandished a broomstick in a threatening manner.

The boys were, as usual, up to no good, but Nami frowned as she watched them scurrying away up the street. They looked the same as they had two years ago. Nami watched them curiously until they were out of sight, and then turned back to the restaurant. The old woman sighed irritably before turning  to Nami and smiling.

“Pardon me, my dear, would you like to come in for a drink?” The woman said, standing back and gesturing toward her little establishment.

“Um…” Nami had no idea what was going on. She knew she was in the hotel, or had been at one point. The crunch of dirt under her shoes and the fresh ocean breeze threading through her hair impossibly real even though she knew they weren’t.

“Excuse me,” she said, approaching the woman. It had been two years since she’d seen the older woman’s smiling face, but surely Syrup didn’t get too many outside visitors. “Do you remember me?”

“Remember you?” The old woman stared at Nami thoughtfully.

“I was here a little more than two years ago?” Nami tried, her hands moving in small circles as he tried to recall something that might make the woman remember her, but nothing came to mind, and the woman didn’t look any more enlightened.

“I’m friends with Usopp?” Nami continued.

“Oh!” The woman’s confusion broke and she smiled. “I’m sorry, my dear, I don’t remember you, but I’m always happy to welcome a friend of Usopp’s! Come in, come in!”

Nami found herself ushered into the small restaurant and seated at the bar. A quick glance around showed her that it was exactly as it had been two years ago: nothing had changed in the slightest.

“Here you go, my dear.” The woman set a glass of water in front of Nami. “Can I interest you in anything? A slice of homemade pie, perhaps? Or some coffee?”

“Uh, I don’t have money,” Nami admitted, patting the pocket where she usually kept a fold of bills. Nothing. She knew it had held some money before she had fallen asleep. There would be hell to pay for the bastard that stole it from her.

“Nonsense!” The woman laughed. “I wouldn’t dream of charging a friend of the Great Captain Usopp!”

Nami almost spat out her water. Her hand flew to her mouth to stop herself, and it took her a moment to collect herself before she could sputter out, “Great… captain…?”

“Of course! Anything you want, my dear, it’s on me.” She patted Nami’s hand before turning to collect some used dishes from one of the tables.

“Excuse me, ma’am?” Nami turned to face the matron. “Do you happen to know where Usopp is?” she asked. “I mean… is he here?”

“Here?” the woman repeated, looking confused. “You mean in town?”

“I mean…” Nami fumbled for some kind of explanation. “He’s not out on… some kind of adventure is he?”

The woman laughed again, a warm, hearty sound. “No, no, dear,” she said. “He’s been back for ages. I expect he’s at home with his mother right now.”

“His… mother?” Nami frowned.

 She never asked how or when it had happened, but she knew that Usopp’s mother was dead. He’d told her once, almost in passing, not long after they’d left from _her_ village. He’d learned about Bellemere and Nami’s past from Nojiko and her big mouth, so he’d shared a little of his to be fair. Nami hadn’t pressed him for details. There was an unspoken rule on the ship that no one asked more than they needed to know, and Nami lived by it. But she knew Usopp had told her his mother was gone. She could never forget the broken expression on his face, or the way his voice cracked when he confessed.

“Yes, Ms. Banchina,” the woman said. “They live inland on the hill over there.” She pointed northeast. “Silly me, I’m sure you’re excited to see the lad, and here I am holding you up.”

“Yes, I am.” Nami smiled, sliding off her stool. “I’m terribly sorry, perhaps I could take you up on that offer for pie later?”

“Of course!” The woman beamed. “Any time, my dear. You’re always welcome here! Be sure to tell Usopp I said hello! And tell him to stop by! I haven’t seen him in ages.”

“I will.” Nami waved goodbye to the woman as he left the restaurant, heading off for Usopp’s home.

It wasn’t hard to find at all. A road from town connected all the way to Usopp’s house, though he lived a little ways outside of the village. On the way there, Nami went over what she had discovered so far, trying to make sense of her situation so that she could explain it to Usopp as well. Unfortunately, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she still didn’t have the slightest clue what was going on, but the thinking kept her mind busy, and for now that was enough.

This was some kind of dream, or maybe an illusion created from Usopp’s memories. Usopp hadn’t been back to Syrup Village since he’d left with the rest of them, so his memories of the place and the people had remained unchanged. That much was easy to figure out. But would Usopp remember her? That was harder to figure out.

In her own dream, Nami hadn’t remembered anyone else. Well, she remembered Nojiko and Bellemere, but she hadn’t even recognized Vivi when her friend had been sitting right in front of her, and she hadn’t spared a thought to Luffy and the others. It was like their entire adventure had never happened. Thinking back on it now made her stomach twist in uneasy knots. How could she forget everything they had been through? She supposed with enough happiness shoved her way, she could turn a blind eye to the parts of her memory that had been repressed, but not for long.

Nami put those thoughts aside as she approached the house. For now she needed to focus on Usopp.

She wiped her sweaty palms on the side of her skirt before she reached the door. She didn’t know why she suddenly felt so nervous, it was only Usopp beyond this door, but the situation put her on nerves on edge. She took a deep breath and tried to steady her rapidly beating heart before she knocked gently against the green painted door.

Nami’s breath caught in her throat as he door swung open, revealing a beautiful woman. She looked too young to be a mother, although Nami suspected she had been young when Usopp last saw her. She looked different than Nami had expected. Her skin was pale, even lighter than Nami’s, and her hair was straight and fell neatly down to her shoulders.. Usopp’s skin was much darker, and his hair was always unruly and curly, but they shared the same long nose and their hair was the exact same color. There was no doubt this woman was Usopp’s mother, and Nami felt herself gaping in surprise.

“Can I help you?” The woman ask with a clear, gentle voice.

“Uh, um…” Nami closed her mouth. The ability to form words was lost on her at the moment. “I’m a friend of Usopp’s?”

The woman raised an eyebrow, and Nami mentally slapped herself. She should have thought up some kind of excuse in case Usopp really didn’t know her, but she’d been so awe-struck she could only say the first thing that came to her mind.

“Well,” Usopp’s mother smiled. “You must be one of Usopp’s crew members. Please come inside.”

The house wasn’t very big, but it was enough for two people. Nami tried to imagine Usopp growing up here alone but stopped herself. It was a painful thought. Nami knew how hard it was to be alone, and she didn’t have time to go down that road either because Usopp was staring at her.

He was seated at the kitchen table next to the beautiful blonde girl Nami had met the last time she’d been here. Kaya. Nami remembered her name because she had been the one who had given them the Merry for free, and free had always been Nami’s favorite price.

Usopp had one arm around Kaya’s shoulders and he had been murmuring something to her before he caught sight of Nami. Whatever he had said had made Kaya blush, and her cheeks were still a light pink even now. _Oh-ho_ , Nami thought. So _that’s_ what Usopp dreamed about.

“Hello,” Usopp greeted her. His voice was slightly stiff and formal, and Nami had never heard that voice directed towards her before. It confirmed the worst of her suspicions; Usopp didn’t remember her.

“Hi,” Nami greeted in return, a broad smile on her face. “It’s been long time, Captain,” she said. She was going to have to commit to the act she’d been putting on. It was a weak cover, especially since Usopp was looking at her suspiciously, but she had no other choice now.

For good measure, she stepped forward and hugged him, not unlike the way she had after being separated for two years. Usopp, to his credit, was polite about the whole thing, and patted her back awkwardly.

“She said she was one of your crew members, Usopp,” his mother said. “You must be so happy to see her!”

“Oh, yes.” Usopp gave his mother the lopsided half smile he wore when he thought one of his lies might actually work out in his favor. “Mom, this is…” he trailed off, shooting an uncertain glance towards Nami.

“I’m Nami,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She meant it sincerely. Although she knew this wasn’t really Usopp’s mother, it was probably his memory of her, and Nami felt especially honored to have the chance to meet her.

His mother smiled sincerely. “I’m Banchina, Usopp’s mother. It’s an honor to meet you. I’ve been dying to meet the people my son sailed the world with.”

“Mom,” Usopp hissed.

“What? I _am_ honored. You always tell me about your adventures, so I want to know what your crew was like as well.”

“Um, well…” Usopp glanced at Nami uncertainly.

“We were a wild bunch,” Nami said, smiling at Banchina. “Usopp had his hands full with a crew like us, but he was a great captain!” She winked at him, and Usopp raised an eyebrow. Now that she was looking at both of them together, Nami could see Usopp looked a lot like his mother, and had picked up many of her mannerisms as well.

Banchina laughed. “It sounds like a fun time, although Usopp always makes the journey sound so dangerous.”

“It had its moments,” Nami agreed. “Did Usopp tell you about our trip to the sky? We battled against a god. It was a close call.”

“Oh! Yes, the sky islands are some of my favorite of Usopp’s stories!” his mother said.

Well. That was interesting. Usopp seemed to remember parts of their journey, even if he didn’t remember Nami or the others.

Banchina continued, “Kaya likes them too, right, dear?”

Kaya smiled sweetly and nodded. Beside her, Usopp was staring at Nami in blatant disbelief. She gave him a look of her own. She and Usopp had always been fairly good at non-verbal communication, having practiced it over many meals together in the galley. She could only hope it served them well now.

Usopp’s brow furrowed and he looked away. Well, maybe not.

“Oh, Nami,” his mother called her attention once more. “You really must stay for dinner. I’m sure you’re dying to catch up with Usopp, and I’d love to hear more of your stories!”

“Of course, that would be lovely, thank you.” Nami smiled.

“Mom!” Usopp let out a strangled cry.

Banchina frowned. “Usopp? What’s wrong?”

A light blush darkened Usopp’s cheeks. “Uh, I was just thinking we might need some more meat if Nami is going to join us. She absolutely loves meat, goes crazy over it.”

Nami raised an eyebrow. She did _not_. He was obviously mistaking her for Luffy, which was a ridiculous idea.

“So I better go get some more before the butcher closes,” he continued, standing up from the table.

“Did you want me to go with you?” Kaya offered.

“No,” Usopp smiled down at her. It was a look so tender that Nami almost gagged. “Nami will come with me, it’s her meat anyway.”

“Hey!” Nami frowned.

“Usopp,” Banchina scolded. “It’s not polite to treat guests that way.”

Usopp smiled. “Well I figured Nami and I could catch up on the walk to the village. Don’t worry, I won’t make her carry anything.”

Banchina’s gaze softened. “Well, I suppose the two of you must have a lot to talk about.”

Usopp gave Nami a look, and she quickly caught on. “That sounds great,” she agreed with a smile. “Are you ready to go now, Captain?”

Usopp nodded, stepping away from the table. Nami expected him to make for the door, but he detoured at the last second.

“I’ll be back,” he said to his mother, kissing her on the cheek before he went.

Nami watched the scene with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Usopp looked so happy like this. He seemed different than she was used to. It was as if having his mother around made him braver somehow. But none of this was real. Usopp’s mother was gone, and Nami was going to have to be the one to remind him.

* * *

Outside the house, Usopp didn’t say a single word. They followed the path back to the village in silence. Nami could have broken that silence herself, but she wasn’t even sure where to begin, and after seeing Usopp with his mom, she felt hesitant. There didn’t seem to be any immediate danger threatening her friends, so she wondered if maybe he could stay here just a little longer. She was in no hurry to pull Usopp from his mother again, not just yet.

It was Usopp that finally broke the silence between them.

“Who the heck are you?” he asked. “And how did you know all that stuff?”

Nami took a deep, shaky breath. This was it then, it was time to come clean to him.

“Like I said, we’re on the same crew,” she said.

“What?” Usopp frowned. “I’ve never seen you before in my life!”

“Well not in this life, no,” Nami agreed.

Usopp’s brow furrowed in confusion and silence fell between them again. Nami wasn’t sure she was getting anywhere this way. At this rate, he’d only be more confused, and at the end of the day she’d be stuck here in Usopp’s dreams and memories.

“Did you travel the world?” Nami asked curiously.

“What? Yeah, of course I did,” Usopp scoffed. “I’m a brave warrior of the seas! The Great Captain Usopp!” He puffed his chest out proudly.

“You aren’t the captain though,” Nami muttered, shaking her head.

“What?” Usopp’s gaze snapped to her.

“You’re not the captain,” she said a little louder, “Luffy is.”

“Luffy?” Usopp repeated the name of his captain, his friend, like it was a foreign word, but there was some glinting of recognition in his eyes.

“Yeah, do you remember him?” Nami asked.

Usopp grimaced like he had a bad headache. “No,” he said.

“Oh.”

They lapsed into silence again. They were almost to the village now, and Nami felt like there was a ticking clock hanging over her head; not for Usopp but for herself. If they made it back to Usopp’s house, her resolve would crumble again. She wouldn’t be able to pull her friend away from the mother he obviously missed and loved. She’d lose her opportunity here.

“You know, Usopp.” She stopped walking, and he turned around to face her with a frown. “You’re going to have to wake up eventually.”

“What?” He said, his eyes narrowing.

“I mean you can’t be this oblivious,” she said, her voice a little louder. “I thought you were smarter than to fall for something like this.”

“Something like _what_?”

“You of all people should know this isn’t real.”

Usopp froze. “This isn’t real?”

“Yeah,” Nami lowered her eyes. She could feel the ground trembling beneath her feet, just slightly. “And you know it, right? Hasn’t something felt off to you?”

“I…” Usopp closed his mouth.

The earthquake beneath their feet grew stronger.

“I’m sorry, Usopp,” Nami said sadly. “About your mom, Kaya… all of this.”

Nami staggered as the earth shook. She managed to keep her balance, widening the stance of her feet and weighing her balance between them. It was like balancing on a pitching ship in a thunderstorm, difficult, but familiar. A wide crack formed in the road, running a jagged path between their legs. Their eyes followed the progress of the crack, until just as suddenly as it began, it stopped.

“Oh,” Usopp said.

In the silence left behind Usopp’s single note of realization, the earth began to crumble away from the edges of the crack, making it widen like a gaping mouth, threatening to swallow anything trapped between its teeth. Nami tried to avoid it, jumping back as the earth crumbled under her foot. Usopp moved too, but it wasn’t long before they both lost their footing, and with equally high pitched squeals, they tumbled into the dark abyss below.

* * *

Nami gasped, lurching upwards. Her hand knocked against a broken board and she hissed in pain, pushing the board away with a frustrated shove. She could hear Usopp sputtering from somewhere behind her. She twisted around to see him sitting on the bed, breathing heavily and examining his limbs for damage. When he found none, he put his hand over his chest and sighed with relief.

“Your wake up was worse than mine,” Nami commented sympathetically.

Usopp’s attention snapped to her and his eyes widened. He tore his gaze away, his eyes darting around the room, taking in the state of disrepair.

“Oh yeah,” Usopp said quietly. “It was a dream.”

Nami clambered back to her feet, but didn’t know what to do next. She watched Usopp curl in on himself as the last details of his dream faded and real memories took its place. She swore she could see tears in his eyes, but tried not to look.

She busied herself by taking in the state of the room instead. Usopp’s room was different than her own. Instead of plush, designer furniture, the room was decorated with wooden pieces that looked as if they had been taken directly from a tree. I few animal heads were mounted on the wall, though a thick coat of dust covered their surfaces, and moths had made quick work of their hides. The carpeting looked like it had once been an earthy green, and the wallpaper seemed to have once been yellow, but time had made their colors sickly so that both resembled various shades of vomit. Nami cringed. Above them, a chandelier made of woven tree branches seemed to be the only remotely attractive thing in the room, though it wasn’t in much better shape. Some of the branches had broken off, leaving bald patches in the fixture.

Turning her attention back to Usopp, Nami could see that his eyes were dry again, though he sniffled a few more times than was normal. He rubbed at his nose quickly to silence those as well.

“Why did you have to wake me up?” Usopp asked. He didn’t look her way, but Nami could hear the bite of accusation in his tone.

“It was just a dream, Usopp,” Nami said, softly.

“So?” Usopp frowned, shooting her a look. “It was a good dream, why couldn’t you have let me keep dreaming?”

“For how long?” Nami asked. “Another hour? Two? Look around you, Usopp. Something isn’t right here.” She gestured to the sickly-looking stained walls, and the rotting, half-eaten animal heads.

Usopp did look around, with some surprise, at the state his room. Nami assumed this was not how it had looked when he had fallen asleep, just as hers had not been.

“I don’t think that dream was just a coincidence, yours or mine. I think there’s something up with this hotel.”

Usopp didn’t reply. Instead, he fixed her with an expression that threatened to tear her apart. It was hollow eyed, broken, and too reminiscent of the expression he’d worn the first time he’d told her about his mom – the expression she swore she never wanted to see on his face again.

“My mom was there, Nami,” Usopp said. He didn’t sound angry. His voice was hollow. “I got to tell her all about our adventures and I got to show her how brave I was.”

“Those weren’t our adventures,” Nami said sadly. “You didn’t even know who I was. You didn’t know who Luffy was… I’m sure you didn’t remember the others either.”

Usopp’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t argue. Another silence lapsed between them, this one more uncomfortable than the last. Nami felt as if she should say something more, continue explaining to Usopp why being awake was more important than his dream, but she couldn’t find the words. Her mouth opened a few times, but always closed again, and finally she gave up trying. Instead, she dusted off the seat of one of the wooden chairs that still appeared to be in good shape, and sat down, leaning against the backrest. She let her eyes fall closed, using the darkness behind her eyelids as refuge for a moment.

Finally, Usopp pulled himself off the bed. Nami cracked her eyes and watched him as he stretched, popping a few stiff joints, and rubbed absently at his stomach.

“I’m hungry,” he commented.

Nami turned to look at him, it seemed his previous mood had vanished without a trace, and he was looking around the room with a mixture of trepidation and confusion. Nami knew better though. Usopp could be a very good liar when he wanted to be. She wasn’t about to push the issue right now, however; they had a bigger problem on their hands.

“I don’t think you’ll find anything to eat here,” she said, standing as well. She glanced at the mold and dust that had settled on the walls. “I’m terrified to know what the kitchen looks like.”

Usopp winced. “Yeah. What happened in here anyway?” he asked. “This room was really nice when I fell asleep.”

“I think this is how it always was,” Nami said. “Remember how the outside looked? I thought it was weird the inside was in such good shape. I guess we know the truth now.”

“So, what?” Usopp kicked a broken fragment of furniture away. “Was the nice hotel just an illusion too?”

“I think so,” Nami agreed.

“Why?” Usopp asked. He approached the door. It was still open, just how Nami had left it when she’d fallen through and into Usopp’s dream. He peeked out into the hallway, his face twisting into a look of disgust before he shook his head and turned back to her. “What’s the point of keeping us here?”

Nami frowned. “I don’t know, Usopp,” she said. “I’m just as confused as you are.”

“Come on, Nami,” Usopp said, his voice just a little sharper than normal. “I know you have at least a few ideas already.”

“A few,” she conceded, not quite meeting his gaze. He knew her too well by now. “But nothing I can prove.”

“Let’s hear it,” he said, pulling up a chair and sitting in it. He didn’t even look before he sat, and Nami could see the small puff of dust that came from the chair with the movement.

Nami sighed. She hated giving out theories with so little to go on. It meant that later she would look foolish if she ended up being wrong. But she supposed now wasn’t really the time for matters of pride, and besides, this was Usopp. He knew her better than anyone. He was her best friend, and he wouldn’t laugh at her for making a guess at a time like this.

“I think this hotel might be kind of…” she trailed off, feeling stupid even as the words left her lips. “Alive.”

“Alive?” Usopp repeated. There was the barest hint of disbelief in his voice. He masked the rest well, giving Nami a moment to explain herself.

“In a sense,” Nami clarified. “I’m not sure how, exactly. That part I’m still working on, but this whole thing kind of reminds me of one of your plants. Your whatever-trap ones.”

“My midori boshi devil traps?” Usopp frowned.

“Whatever.” Nami waved it off. “But I think it’s like those. We got lured in with the promise of something sweet, and then they tried to trap us with something even sweeter by giving us everything we could ever want.”

Usopp’s gaze darkened and for a moment his eyes were not on her at all. For one moment, his expression was almost chilling, but it passed as quickly as it had come, and he asked, “but why bother?”

“Well,” Nami said, biting her lip, “this is where I’m not so sure. But I think we’re kind of like… food.”

“Food?!” Usopp’s voice broke.

“Yeah, I think— I’m not sure— but I think that the hotel is using us as a source of energy,” Nami said.

Usopp swallowed and his knees shook. “That’s really bad,” he whimpered. “Why would a building need food?”

“I don’t know,” Nami admitted. “I haven’t been able to figure it out yet, and I might be wrong but…”

“But we should get the others and get out of here as soon as possible, right?”

“Right.”

Usopp stood, dusting off the seat of his overalls. “Alright, then I guess we should get moving,” he said, but he didn’t move. “You first.”

Nami scoffed. “There’s nothing scary out there,” she said. “You coward.”

“Excuse you!” Usopp frowned, raising his voice. “The Great Captain Usopp is _not_ a coward! I was simply abiding by the code, ‘ladies first’.”

Nami snorted but led the way regardless. She paused just at the doorway of the room.

“By the way,” she added. “Avoid that room with no door. Something isn’t right about it.” And with that she saw herself out of the room.

“’Something isn’t right about it’?” Usopp repeated, confused. “Oi! Nami!” He called, scrambling to follow after her. “What do you mean ‘something isn’t right about it’? What’s not right about it?”

Nami ignored his cries, taking a few steps up the hallways without him. She could hear him tripping over himself to catch up, and had to put a hand to her lips to keep himself from laughing. She turned just in time to watch him half-falling out of the room, pulling the bedroom door shut behind him. It closed easily with a final click.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been strange, walking in Usopp’s dream world. A world where she did not exist, where Luffy and the others did not exist. It felt so strange… and invasive. The uneasy feeling of guilt had weighed in her stomach. She had seen something private, something sacred, and she had shattered it as well. She knew what she did was necessary. She couldn’t leave Usopp or any of the others behind here, but it didn’t make the guilty feeling go away.

For the first time since she’d woken up alone in this creepy, run down hotel, Nami could feel the pain of loss and hopelessness sinking into her bones. The feeling had not set in immediately, rather it seemed to sink into her little by little as she made her way through the hotel, but it had grown into something that made her stomach turn. She had felt when she landed on the manmade sky island after Kuma sent her flying. It felt like her bones ached, like something deep inside of her, something important to the construction of who she was, _hurt_. It wasn’t entirely noticeable at first, because it wasn’t like a flesh wound or even like some kind of internal damage. It was like her very framework had been shaken from its foundations and threatened to crumble into nothingness. She had never wanted to feel anything like that again, but the feeling had crept up on her when she wasn’t paying attention.

Having Usopp by her side made the feeling more bearable. She still didn’t feel right, she expected she wouldn’t feel right again until they were all safe and sailing away from this island, but at least she wasn’t alone.

The hotel was creepy. Large cobwebs hung from the ceiling, and broken pieces of furniture hinted at the presence of spiders Nami never wanted to meet. The floor creaked under their feet from time to time, and Nami was afraid it would collapse in on them, but thankfully it never did.

Neither of them were very brave, at least not the way the others were, but here were the two of them stuck having to help the others. It almost wasn’t fair. Usopp started with every sound. He would jump with every moaning floorboard, and when Nami accidentally stepped on a shard of glass he shot into the air. His overreaction to every little thing made her laugh despite the hotel’s disturbing atmosphere.

“Nami,” Usopp whined, giving her a hurt look. “Don’t laugh at me.”

Nami suppressed her giggle behind her hand. “Sorry,” she said.

Usopp didn’t look like he believed her, but continued to lead the way down the hall.

Nami had led them to the third floor almost immediately. She had already checked most of the doors on the second floor before she found Usopp, and besides, she’d already noticed a pattern. There was very little evidence to support her guess, but she was going to risk it anyway.

They could have split up and checked the doors separately and would have covered the whole hallway in far less time than it had taken Nami by herself, but Nami and Usopp stuck together as they checked the doors one by one. It was better that way. There was safety in numbers, Nami reasoned. But she knew that was only an excuse. Truthfully, it just made her feel better to stay near Usopp. They were the only ones left of their crew; he was all she had left of her family. She could feel their loss with her very being, and he helped ease the ache.

Usopp reached for the first knob with a shaky hand. Nami didn’t tease him for the way his fingers trembled, she felt hers doing the same, though maybe not for the same reason.

But of course, the door was completely locked up, like the others Nami had tried. There was probably no one in that room. With a sigh, Usopp released the knob.

“What do we do?” he asked.

“Try another door.” Nami shrugged. “I haven’t been bothering with the locked ones. If we need to try and figure them out later, we will, but for now…”

“For now let’s try the unlocked ones, yeah.” Usopp nodded and moved to the next door.

Now that Nami had a moment to notice, she realized the doors of the hallway were laid out in an irregular pattern. There were five doors on each floor, but their positions in the hall suggested that all the rooms had different sizes. Strange for a hotel. She would have expected all the rooms to be near replicas of each other. It was cheaper and easier to build them that way. Some fancier places might have a few fancier rooms, but they usually weren’t located on the third floor, and they usually didn’t make rooms on the same floor so much smaller to accommodate the larger ones.

This place was strange.

They approached the door across the hall. Usopp puffed out his chest as they went, as if doing so would make him braver and give him more confidence to go in. With every step, however, his bravado faded.

“What do you think we’ll find in the next room?” Usopp asked.

“I don’t know,” Nami said quietly. “I guess it depends on whose room it is.” And what their dream was, but Nami left that unsaid.

Usopp laughed. “I hope it’s Zoro’s. I wanna see what Zoro dreams about.”

Nami pursed her lips. She didn’t know how to tell Usopp that he was wrong. He didn’t want to see, and he wouldn’t want to break it. It didn’t feel right. But she couldn’t explain that properly, so she kept her mouth shut.

As they reached the next door, Nami saw something move out of the corner of her eye. Her head whipped around, ready to confront whatever was there, but the hallway was empty. Her eyes scanned the surroundings, trying to see if anything had changed. Maybe whatever it was had hidden behind a broken piece of furniture. But nothing was out of place.

“Nami?” Usopp asked.

Nami startled when he spoke. He was giving her a curious look, one that spoke to her without words. _What’s wrong? What did you see?_

“Nothing,” she said. “Sorry, I just thought I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye.”

“This place gives me the creeps.” Usopp nodded, as if the answer was that simple. “It’s going to start playing tricks on our minds. Anyway, you ready?” His hand was resting on the doorknob.

“Yeah.” She nodded.

She cast one more look back at the first door they had stopped at. She had sworn she had seen the shape come from that room, but that didn’t make any sense. The door remained closed and firmly locked, and there had been no noise when the shadowy figure had made its move. Not to mention, nothing around the door looked at all disturbed. The only footprints in the thick dust were their own.

The click of the door in front of her made her turn back around. With a forceful push, the door swung open, and after sharing a brief look, Usopp and Nami stepped inside together.

* * *

The space was too small, too tight even for two people to stand in. Nami could feel something jabbing into her back, and small pieces of something under her feet scrapped and snapped as she and Usopp tried to escape their tiny prison.

“Wait – hold on… let me just…” Usopp reached around her, his arms finding something behind her, and then suddenly the small closet was bright.

Nami stumbled out of the doorway, tripping over her own feet and Usopp’s, nearly falling. She only barely managed to catch herself at the last minute. Usopp was not so lucky. With an amusing wail, he went sprawling, landing face first onto the polished wooden floor below.

Nami righted herself and looked around the room. She froze. There were four pairs of eyes staring at her in a mixture of shock and disbelief.

“Um, hello,” Nami said nervously. “Sorry about this.”

The expressions on the faces did not change.

Usopp sprang up quickly, having recovered from his fall. He dusted the invisible dirt from his clothes and opened his mouth to speak but froze when he finally noticed his surroundings.

“ _Franky?!_ ” Usopp shouted in a tone of disbelief.

Their cyborg friend quirked an eyebrow. “Uh, do I know you, bro?” he asked.

The other people in the room looked from Franky to Nami and Usopp with confusion. All but one of them were seated at a table, a delicious looking spread of food laid out before them. Nami could feel her stomach gurgle and placed a hand on it to silence the noise.

The last person was half way between the stove and the table, a baking dish full of food in her hands. Nami knew her, though she almost didn’t recognize her. The Kokoro that had saved them back in Enies Lobby was an older, rounded woman who smelled of alcohol. This Kokoro was slimmer, her hair was tamed down, and she looked young. She didn’t look much older than Robin.

But both the Kokoro Nami had known and the Kokoro she was seeing now wore the same jovial smile, even as surprise widened her eyes.

Nami looked to the other members of the party. Iceberg, the mayor of Water 7 was staring back at them from beside Franky. There was no recognition in his eyes, though he didn’t look any different than he had the last time Nami had seen him.

Across from Franky was a man Nami did not recognize. Nami didn’t need to see the spare gills on his neck to recognize that he was a fishman. His body was too large to be a normal human, and his skin was a light yellow color. He wore a bandana on his head, his hair a puff of white secured into a ponytail, his curly beard and mustache set to match. The shocked expression on his face was fading to one of amusement as he looked between the newcomers and Franky.

“Friends of yours, Franky?” The man laughed, a deep, powerful sound. “You didn’t have to hide them in the closet.”

“Yeah, there was no need to be so rude, Bakanky,” Iceberg added in snidely.

“Shut up! Aho-berg! I don’t even know them!” Franky retorted.

They sounded like children arguing, Nami realized. Like siblings. Everything about this was strange.

“Franky, Iceberg,” Kokoro scolded before looking back to Nami and Usopp. “Well, whoever they are, they look starved. Why don’t you join us for dinner?”

Usopp’s slacked jaw worked uselessly around soundless words. Nami suppressed a sigh.

“We’d love to,” she said.

Kokoro and the large fishman left to find them chairs, and Nami and Usopp waited in an uncomfortable silence with Franky and Iceberg. Franky was eyeing them warily, as if he were suspicious of them. Nami couldn’t blame him, she’d probably feel the same way if she had watched two strangers who claimed to know her fall out of the closet.

But Franky didn’t say anything, and soon enough Kokoro and the fishman Nami didn’t know were back, with two more chairs in tow.

“You’re just in time.” Kokoro laughed. “Dinner only just started.”

Nami took a seat between Iceberg and the unknown fishman, with Usopp in between him and Kokoro.  Neither of them sat very close to Franky, but given the looks the cyborg was giving them, Nami wasn’t sorry about it.

Usopp looked completely blown away by the whole situation. Nami would have thought that, given his own experience, he would have some idea what was going on here. At least enough of an idea to not look so lost. But she supposed walking in someone else’s dream _was_ completely different than walking in your own.

These people in Franky’s dream were obviously important to their friend. Nami had known Franky and Iceberg were related in some way; the teamwork they used to build the Thousand Sunny seemed to be something special. But the events on the judiciary island hadn’t left Nami much time to wonder about Franky’s past, and after they were reunited with Robin and Usopp, Nami had forgotten to wonder about it at all.

Besides, there was an unspoken rule on their ship: no one asked each other about their pasts. That dragged up too many painful memories. Who they were in the past didn’t change who they were now, so why did it matter if they knew each other’s pasts or not? It didn’t, and until recently, Nami had no problems with that rule.

Now, however, she kind of wish she had asked.

“Here, my dear, have a plate,” the younger Kokoro said, sliding a plate heaping with food in front of her. “You’re too skinny. It’s good to keep your girlish figure, but even better to stay healthy like me!”

Nami forced a laugh, but it sounded strange and hollow. She coughed, hoping the others wouldn’t notice, and picked up her fork. The food looked and smelled amazing, and she really was starving. She hadn’t eaten since the feast… last night? Nami had no idea. It could have been just the night before, or it could have been the day before. It was impossible to say how long these dreams lasted. But she didn’t need to tell time to know she was hungry; her stomach made that much obvious.

She eagerly picked up her fork and dug in with the others. She slipped the first bite into her mouth… and tasted nothing. It might as well have been air in her mouth. She couldn’t even properly feel the consistency of the food as she chewed and swallowed.

On the other side of the big fishman, Nami heard Usopp make a half-strangled sound. It wasn’t just her then.

“Is something wrong?” Kokoro asked.

The big fishman laughed. “The boy just took too big a bite. A man knows how to eat – with a don!”

A large webbed hand crashed none too gently between Usopp’s shoulder blades, and Nami could tell by the way Usopp winced that the friendly pat on the back was not entirely appreciated.

“Tom-san, be nice to our guests.” Kokoro frowned.

Usopp and Nami exchanged a look across Tom’s belly. Silent assurance passed between them, and they took their next bite together, ignoring that it was entirely tasteless and not at all the consistency it was supposed to be. They continued to eat their meal in silence.

Nami could feel Iceberg and Franky’s eyes on her as she ate. Franky didn’t concern her much, but Iceberg made her nervous. He was an intelligent man, she knew, and his calculating gaze on them made her uneasy. She and Usopp were not supposed to be here. These were Franky’s inner thoughts. And if there was one person in this room that might be able to realize there was something not right about Nami and Usopp’s presence, it was Iceberg.

Nami continued to eat her food like nothing was wrong.

Franky looked different, she noted. He was lacking the familiar bulk of machinery, making him seem smaller than she was used to. He still had his metal nose though.

Franky was staring between her and Usopp with something akin to suspicion. It was sad, she thought, Franky was their friend, and she would have never expected him to express distrust towards them. How many times had he led them in a dance or attempted to accompany Brook with his guitar? But here, in his dream, he didn’t even seem to like the looks of them.

There wasn’t any conversation during the meal; they were too busy bickering over food. The familiar cadence of people fighting over food let Nami relax a little. She wasn’t sure what kind of lie she could tell if they had been intent on questioning them. Franky was different from Usopp, and wouldn’t hesitate to call her on her bluff, so she needed to think up a good excuse for having fallen out of their closet in the middle of what looked to be a family meal.

When the last of the potatoes had been won by Iceberg and scooped onto his plate, Kokoro stood from the table and started clearing off the plates. Nami waited for the inevitable question, sure it would come up first in the post dinner conversation, but to her surprise, the three men stood without a word.

Tom seemed to pause for only a moment to consider both her and Usopp. “The boys and I are off to finish a ship, do either of you know anything about shipwrighting?”

Nami and Usopp exchanged a brief glance.

“I do,” Usopp offered, a shaky hand raising into the air. He cleared his throat. “Uh, not much. I was… an apprentice.”

He glanced at Franky while he said these words. They were sort of true, in a way. Usopp was a bit of handy man, and he had always been the one to repair the Merry when she took damage. He hadn’t been very good at it at the time, but ever since Franky joined them, Usopp had been learning more and more. He wasn’t the shipwright that Franky was, but he had picked up a few things. Franky was Usopp’s teacher and his friend, and it was hard to witness the indifference Franky seemed to feel towards him now.

“Excellent!” Tom boomed. “We’ll be glad to have an extra pair of hands!”

“I’ll help here,” Nami offered to Kokoro. “If you don’t mind.”

“Of course not!” Kororo laughed.

Nami and Usopp looked at each other one more time before Usopp was ushered outside with the others. His eyes were wide, but he didn’t look as afraid as he was acting. He had no reason to be. He was going to work on a ship with Franky, just like any other day. Nami’s eyes moved to Franky. He looked to be in a much better mood than he had been at dinner. The prospect of building a ship seemed to lighten his mood. Usopp would be fine for a while.

The kitchen was quiet after the men left, and only the sound of running water broke the silence. Kokoro washed a plate under the steaming flow, and passed it off to Nami when she was done. Nami took up a spare towel and started drying.

“So where did you meet Franky?” Kokoro asked. “Are you one of the kids from the city?”

Nami’s fingers slipped a little on the plate she was drying, but she managed to catch it before it fell. There was the question she was hoping she could get away with not being asked. Nami’s mind flew through the possibilities. What lie could she tell?

Nami glanced over at Kokoro. Once upon a time, this woman had saved her life. Well, not this Kokoro. Another Kokoro, and older version, had saved her life. Nami looked back at the plate in her hands. She didn’t wonder anymore why the Kokoro she knew drank so much.

There was no Tom in the real world. At least, not anymore.

“Uh, yeah,” Nami said. She decided to go along with Kokoro’s assumption. “Franky helped protect a very dear friend of mine,” she said.

Kokoro smiled, a large, toothy smile. “He’s got a bad mouth, but he’s a good boy.”

“Yeah,” Nami agreed with a smile, “Franky is great.”

Kokoro asked Nami more about herself after that, but it was easier to lie about herself than it was to make up something about another person. In fact, Nami didn’t even have to lie so much as bend and stretch the truth a little.

Nami was drying the last dish when Kokoro turned and propped her hip against the counter. She was facing Nami, a knowing look in her eyes.

“So when were you going to tell me you and your friend were pirates?”

 Nami froze, her eyes widening. She had underestimated the mermaid. And here she had thought Iceberg was the one she needed to watch out for.

“I’m not – I mean – What are you – How did you know?” Nami sputtered. There was no point in lying further, she decided. Kokoro wouldn’t be fooled that easily.

“Tom-san meets them all the time,” Kokoro said, nodding her head toward the window. “He’d build a ship for anyone who asked. Even the pirate king.”

Nami’s eyes widened.

“I’ve seen your sort before,” Kokoro continued. “Though that still doesn’t answer how you know Franky. Maybe you’re related to his parents?”

“His parents?” Nami’s curiosity was getting the better of her, but she tried to keep it at bay. She wasn’t here to be nosey about her nakama’s past, she was here to wake her nakama up.

“No,” she said. “I don’t know his parents.”

“Hmm,” Kokoro hummed. Nami wasn’t sure if the woman believed her or not.

“Well, anyway.” Kokoro picked up the stack of clean plates to put them away. “If it’s a secret, we won’t tell.”

“Thank you,” Nami said.

Kokoro laughed. “No need for that. Now tell me, would you like to stay the night?”

* * *

Nami and Usopp shared the back room of the Tom’s Workers home. Nami didn’t complain, though it seemed strange to have her room with a man. Usopp was the only one here besides her that knew this wasn’t reality. She felt better being nearer to him, actually.

Usopp had fallen asleep almost before he lay down. He and the others hadn’t come back in until late into the night. Kokoro assured Nami that this was normal: the others usually continued construction by lantern light for as long as they could. Apparently real ship building turned out to be exhausting for poor Usopp.

Nami had let Kokoro tell her stories for most of the night, and even shared a few of her own. She was careful to keep the descriptions of their crew vague. She didn’t want to accidently let something slip about Franky. She didn’t want to upset the dream version of Kokoro. It was not Kokoro’s dream she needed to shatter.

She glanced across the room to Usopp. He was snoring, just slightly. Not as loudly as Zoro or Luffy sometimes did, but he was snoring nevertheless. Would he have snored when he was asleep and walking in his own dream? Had she snored? She blushed slightly, though there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

Despite the exhaustion that seeped into her bones, Nami lay awake, staring up at the plain wooden ceiling in the darkness. She wasn’t sure what would happen to them if she fell asleep. Inside Franky’s dream, she might be safe.

She wasn’t sure how this whole dream thing worked, and until she knew for sure she refused to let herself drift off to sleep. So Nami would stay awake, and she would drag Usopp from his sleep again if she needed to.

The creaking of floorboards made her freeze. A shadow broke the weak stream of light that was filtering under the door to their room. Someone was there. She wished she had her climatact with her, but she had woken up in her hotel room without it. She glanced quickly around the room looking for some weapon for self-defense, anything that would –

The door creaked open slowly.

Light spilled through the open doorway, broken by the figure standing there. The room was absolutely silent for a minute. Usopp wasn’t snoring anymore. He hadn’t been as deeply asleep as Nami had thought. Maybe she wasn’t the only one on her guard.

The person in the doorway moved into the room with slow, heavy steps that weighed down the floorboards and made them groan in complaint. They shut the door behind them, slowly, quietly. Strange popping noises filled the air. Knuckles cracking, Nami realized. She swallowed back her uneasiness.

“I don’t know either of you,” said Franky’s voice. He spoke in hushed tones. “So you better get talking and have a damn good reason for why I shouldn’t send you packing.”

Nami peeked over the edge of the blanket. Franky was staring down at them, looking from Usopp to Nami, one fist poised threateningly in his hand. Nami had forgotten about how intimidating Franky could look when he wanted to. She was used to his soft-hearted, silly side. She forgot this was the man that had beat Usopp to a bloody pulp and left him sobbing in the streets of Water 7.

Her stomach turned at the memory.

She opened her mouth to speak. What she was going to say, she didn’t know yet, but she would come up with something. She tried to remind herself that Franky wouldn’t hurt her. Franky was fiercely protective of his family and friends, but he wasn’t a bad guy. Usopp and Nami looked suspicious right now. Franky was probably thinking of his family’s safety.

Just as she was about to say something, the blankets on Usopp’s bed shifted, and he sat up. He sighed, the kind of sigh that sounded heavy and put upon, like Franky’s behavior was that of a small child stepping out of line.

“Franky,” Usopp said, addressing their friend. “Why doesn’t that ship have a docking system?”

Usopp’s question caught Franky off guard.

“A… what?” Franky asked, looking at Usopp like he was crazy. Nami was looking at Usopp that way too. She had no idea what he was thinking.

“You made the blueprints, right? That’s what Tom said. So where is the docking system? And why is the canon bay so small?”

“I…” Franky paused. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“And you really didn’t think to make a pulley system for the anchor? I thought pulling the anchor by hand was a thing of the past.”

Now Franky was really looking at Usopp like he’d grown a third head.

“What kind of ship has a pulley system for the anchor?” Franky asked, incredulous. “That’s impractical. A normal anchor for a ship that size would snap the cables or it would be too light too hold the ship. Either way, it’s pointless.”

“Mine does,” Usopp said. “And it’s not impractical, you’re just not thinking in the right shapes or materials.”

Franky snorted but didn’t look like he was dismissing what Usopp was saying. He looked a little… curious.

Nami sat up, but didn’t say anything to interrupt the two men. Usopp seemed to have something up his sleeve.

“I made the blue prints, sure,” Franky shrugged. “Tom helped me. He’s the world’s greatest shipwright. He made the ship the Pirate King sailed on. What could you possibly know better than Tom?”

Usopp smirked. “I know, because I’ve sailed on the ship the future Pirate King sails on.”

Franky snorted again. “Oh yeah? Well then, what’s this future Pirate King’s ship look like?”

Usopp wore the smile he always did when he was about to launch into a story he was especially proud of. He sat straighter against the wall, a storyteller’s best pose, he would say, and began to talk about their ship.

“It’s a huge ship, bigger than any on all the blues! It makes its enemies cower and acts as a beacon for its—“

“Usopp, tell it right,” Nami interrupted. “It’s a brig sloop,” she said to Franky.

Usopp deflated a little, but he continued. “It’s an amazing ship. We have the soldier dock system, each dock has its own important tool in it. You can change the dock number at the helm, and the anchors can be lowered or raised at the helm really easily, too. It’s got cannons on all sides, and the crow’s nest is closed in with windows and a roof. It makes taking watch a lot less miserable, but Zoro stays up there the most because that’s where all his weights are.”

“Zoro?” Franky asked.

“Y-yeah,” Usopp faltered. He looked a little hopeful that Franky might have recognized the name. “He’s one of our crew. Our swordsman.”

“Oh.” Franky frowned. “Go on.”

Nami had been watching Franky very carefully. He didn’t seem to recognize Zoro’s name at all, but that wasn’t really surprising. She and Usopp were sitting right in front of him, and he didn’t recognize them at all. However, there was something there. Some kind of glint in his eyes. A shipwright’s curiosity, maybe, but there was something more to it.

“Well, everyone kind of has their own area. Zoro works out in the crow’s nest, and Sanji spends most of his day in the kitchen. Chopper has the sick bay, and Robin loves the library. Brook spends a lot of time in the aquarium bar, probably because Nami yelled at him for making too much noise on the deck—“

Nami narrowed her eyes at Usopp who swallowed thickly.

“Uh, anyways. Nami has the chartroom. I have my factory, right next to your workshop, and—“

“My workshop?” Franky’s stared at Usopp, waiting for him to correct the mistake.

“Oh, right, sorry,” Usopp shook his head, chuckling a little. He was quick to correct himself. “I meant, our shipwright’s workshop. He develops weapons and stuff down there.”

There was definitely something there, and it grew the more Usopp described the ship. _Recognition._ This might have been a world where Franky had never build the Thousand Sunny, but that didn’t mean he didn’t think about it. The Sunny was a design Franky had come up with himself, and somewhere in his mind he still knew it was his.

“It’s an amazing ship,” Usopp confessed. “I loved our old ship. It was mine, and it was a great ship.”

His voice wavered a little as he talked about Merry. Nami could feel her chest constrict a little. The Going Merry had meant so much to her, and to all of them, but she meant the most to Usopp.

“But the Sunny is a great ship too,” he continued.

Franky’s brow furrowed. He looked troubled, or maybe confused. Outside, Nami could hear the wind picking up.

“How does it run,” Franky asked. “Sounds like a hell of a lot of fuel.”

Usopp laughed and waved his hand as if he were brushing the idea away. “It runs on cola. It’s a heck of a lot cheaper than any other kind of fuel, and we really only need a lot of it for the Coup de Burst.”

“The Coup de Burst?”

“Yeah.” Usopp nodded. “It uses a lot of fuel, but it can fire us into the air and can keep us in the air for one kilometer. It’s gotten us out of some tough binds.”

Franky didn’t say anything to that. In fact, he seemed to be lost in thought. He was looking at Usopp as if Usopp were insane, but Nami could see the gears of his mind whirling into high speed. Almost there, almost.

“What’s the matter, Franky?” Usopp asked, a sly grin on his face. “Does it sound familiar?”

There was a loud _crack_ , and Nami and Usopp both jerked to face the window in the back of the room. The glass inside one pane was cracked, a spider web effect spreading throughout, making the light of the moon ripple.

“Usopp!” Nami said, her tone urgent.

Usopp didn’t respond. Instead, he looked back at Franky. Franky didn’t seem to have heard the noise.

“Well, Franky?” Usopp said. The wind outside was picking up, howling through the cracks on the glass. Usopp had to raise his voice a little to be heard. “Does it sound like your dream ship?”

Another crack, another pane shattered. And then another after that.

Franky glanced at the window, seeming to notice the damage for the first time. Then he looked back to Usopp, realization dawning on him.

“I built the ship,” Franky said.

The window shattered completely. The force of the wind outside sucked the glass away, leaving a gaping hole in the wall. The wind was so strong, it threatened to suck the trio out into the storm beyond. Nami heard Usopp shouting, but she was too busy scrambling for purchase, her nails clawing desperately at the floor boards, trying to keep herself rooted down.

The wind pulled harder. Nami shrieked as one of her nails tore, the pain burning like fire down her hand.

She lost her hold.

* * *

Nami and Usopp sat some distance away from Franky. They didn’t speak to each other, they let the room fall silent.

Franky had woke up, panting and sweating and looking like he’d lost something very important to him. Of course he had. He had looked at Nami and Usopp only once after he woke up, and he’d seemed determined to ignore them ever since then.

Nami wondered if he was mad at them. Usopp had been angry with her when he’d first woken up. She couldn’t blame him either. He had to experience the grief of loss all over again. She would have been angry too.

Her dream was easier. Bellemere had been alive, sure, but not a part of Nami’s dream life. That was probably the reason her dream had been so easy to break. Whatever was keeping them here, whatever had lulled them into these dreams, had made a fatal mistake when it had made Nami’s dream. Limitless wealth was nice and all, Nami couldn’t deny it had its appeal, but it wasn’t everything. In her heart, Nami knew that. The hotel, however, apparently did not.

It was a long time before Franky stood from the bed. He stretched his arms, a few of his non-metal joints popping a little. He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

“That was super not cool of me,” Franky said to them as he approached. He placed one massive metal hand on each of their shoulders. Thanks, Usopp, Nami.”

“No problem, Franky.” Nami smiled up at him. There were tears in his eyes, but that wasn’t unusual for Franky.

“Well then,” he said. “This is all _super_ confusing. Would anyone mind filling me in?”

Nami and Usopp shared with him what they knew, which admittedly, wasn’t much.

“I think it’s safe to assume none of us can recognize the others in our dream,” Nami said. It was another piece of information she had noticed during Franky’s dream. She wasn’t sure exactly what was happening here, but she knew if she paid attention she might learn something. Even little details could hint at something big.

“Vivi was in my dream,” Nami told them, “but I didn’t recognize her, and she was the only one. Usopp didn’t know me, or any of us. And Franky, you stared at me and Usopp like we were there to murder your family.”

“Bad memories,” Franky winced a little. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Nami waved it off. “Anyway, it seems the hotel has to keep us separate. I have a couple of theories about that. The first is that the hotel _has_ to keep us separate, because it’s trapping all of us. Maybe it can’t generate memories of us in our heads while we’re trapped here. The house can’t make multiple copies of the same person, especially when it’s trying to keep that same person asleep, does that make sense?”

“Maybe.” Usopp frowned. “What’s your second theory?”

“It’s keeping us separate because we’re weaker that way.” Nami shrugged. “If everyone had been in my dream, I might have noticed sooner that something was off. We all would, I think. It’s in the hotel’s best interest to keep us apart, and find other dreams to keep us in.”

Franky and Usopp both seemed to contemplate that for a moment, and silence fell between the three of them.

“I don’t know, sis,” Franky frowned. “Something’s going on here though. It gives me a super bad feeling.”

“So what next?” Usopp asked.

“I guess we try to find the others,” Nami said.

“Should we split up?” Usopp suggested. “Maybe we could cover more ground that way?”

“I think we should stick together. It’s easier to get through to the others with more of us around,” Nami said. It was true, but she also didn’t want to be alone again.

Both she and Usopp looked at Franky for his input.

“Waking people up is important, but so is getting out of here safely,” Franky said. He looked out the window of his room where a cold, grey sea battered against the rocks. “I think one of us should go make sure the Sunny is fit to sail.”

Nami opened her mouth to argue, but Usopp put a hand on her arm to silence her.

“Sure, Franky,” he said. “Just keep an eye out for anything suspicious.”

“Of course, bro.” Franky struck a pose. “I’m _super_ aware!”

He looked like the old Franky she was used to, but he pulled his sunglasses on despite the dark room. Franky was, by his nature, and optimistic and cheerful guy, but even so, Nami couldn’t believe his dream wouldn’t get to him. She remembered the way he had bickers with Iceberg and the way he had smiled when he came back in from helping Tom with the ship. She could still see the warmth in his eyes as he teased Kokoro before bed. It was obvious that those people had been his family. Maybe some time with the ship he had built would be better for him.

“I’ll come back as soon as I have everything ready to go,” Franky said. “You two take care of the others.”

“Sure thing,” Usopp said, nodding.

“Hey, Franky.” Nami stopped him before he could get out the door. “Don’t fall asleep,” she warned. “And watch out for yourself.” She looked up at the high ceiling of the room. “I have no idea what this place might try next.”

“Thanks.” Franky waved. “I’ll be careful.”


	5. Chapter 5

Nami and Usopp made their way towards the next flight of stairs, picking carefully around broken bits of furniture and plaster from the walls, as well as rotten pieces of carpeting and lumps of gray fuzz Nami prayed was dust. Her balance teetered a little as she stepped over an overturned table, but she caught herself on one of the legs. She pulled her hand back from the damp wood, only to find it covered in some unidentifiable brown slime. She shuddered and did her best to wipe the sludge onto a peeled strip of wallpaper.

She hated this hotel, and she wanted to go home.

 “What did you mean when you said you didn’t know what this place would try next?” Usopp asked, moving away from her side and out of the path of a crushed grandfather clock.

“I didn’t mean anything,” Nami said. It was a partial truth. She didn’t want Usopp to worry, he was scared enough as is.

“You meant something.” Usopp narrowed his eyes at her.

“No, really, I didn’t.”

“Nami.” Usopp stopped in his tracks, and it took Nami a second to realize she was alone. She turned back to find him watching her with a level gaze. She could tell he was serious; his voice was flat, unamused, and straight to the point.

She sighed. “Okay, fine. I just get a weird feeling about this place, okay? And I think…” she paused, hesitant to say the next part. “I think there is something else here. Besides us.”  She eyed the hallway behind them, as if expecting to see their enemy there. But the hallway was as vacant and unassuming as ever, and that only made her more uneasy.

“You mean besides us and a creepy, possibly living hotel?” Usopp snorted with false bravado, but peeked over his shoulder, shuddering a little as if a sudden chill crept down his back.. “I kind of get that feeling too.”

“Have you seen anything?” Nami asked.

“Just a shadow.” He shrugged, but his shoulders trembled as they rose and fell. He was a terrible actor. “It could have been the candle light playing tricks on my eyes.”

“Yeah,” Nami replied, her tone uncertain. She wasn’t able to force an act of nonchalance the way Usopp did.. “Mine too.”

They lapsed into silence after that, both of them straining their ears for any out-of-place sound.  Nami could feel the crunch of splintered wood under her feet with each slow step, and Usopp scared her half to death when he tripped over the shattered remains of a vase. There were no other sounds aside from their own, however. The hallway was silent.

Nami peeked over her shoulder. The candles in the sconces flickered, making shadows dance in behind them, but nothing seemed out of place. They were seemingly alone, but Nami couldn’t shake the feeling that there was someone else with them. The prickling sensation of being watched made goosebumps rise on her skin. The shadows that danced in the flicking candle light did nothing to ease her fears.

The stairwell to the fourth floor was a wreck. Whole stairs were missing, leaving open pits in their place. Usopp peeked into one of the missing steps, and Nami could see his shoulders tremble as he shuddered.

“This isn’t fair. Why did Franky get to go outside and we have to stay in this creepy place?” Usopp whined.

“You’re welcome to go join him,” Nami snapped. Truthfully, she agreed. She was just as afraid and uneasy as Usopp, and the tension of her fear was wearing her patience thin. She would have loved to have joined Franky out on the Sunny as well.  Their home was safe, and more appealing than ever. But someone had to wake the others up, and because she was the first one to wake up, Nami felt the responsibility fell on her shoulders. She appreciated Usopp’s company, but she wouldn’t force him to stay even if his presence was a comfort.

“I’m not leaving you alone, Nami,” Usopp said, a look of grim determination on his face crossing his features. Nami blinked at him with some surprise, but she couldn’t stop the smile that stretched across her lips. She could always count on Usopp.

“Thanks, Usopp.”

Being the lighter of the two, Nami went up the staircase first, testing each step as she went to make sure it could bear their weight. A few cracked under her feet, but they held, and she passed over them quickly. Coming across one of the missing steps, she stepped over it, but made the mistake of glancing down into the darkness. It was pitch black, so dark Nami couldn’t even possibly tell where it led to. An icy cold breeze rose up from the hole, brushing against her bare legs and making Nami shiver.

It was just like the room with the broken door downstairs. It felt like something was lurking in the darkness, and Nami suddenly regretted wearing a skirt. She stepped over it quickly. In her haste, her foot slipped on the worn down wood, and for one second she was suspended in the air, looking down into the darkness. She was falling, and while she might not fall all the way through, terror gripped her heart at the idea of being anywhere near it.

“Whoa!” Usopp cried. His arms caught her, just barely. He bought her enough time to find her footing, and she stood again, safe.

“Thanks,” she said, trying to calm her breathing. Her heart was still pounding rapidly in her chest, and she tried not to think about what might have happened if Usopp hadn’t been there with her.

“No problem.” Usopp shrugged and looked down into the hole. “It’s creepy.”

“Very,” Nami agreed. She didn’t want to linger there long. The sensation of being watched seemed worse after her near fall, and she was eager to get away from the dark pits of the stairs. “Let’s keep going.”

The fourth floor seemed to be in the worst condition yet. Once upon a time, it might have been beautiful. The ceiling seemed higher than the other floors, and above them, a grand looking chandelier still hung. It was covered in dust and abandoned webs now, but its beauty was still apparent. The hallway seemed wider than the others, and Nami once again wondered about the hotel’s strange proportions.

The carpet beneath their feet was half eaten and so moldy its previously color was indistinguishable. The walls were once polished wood, though it was now worn and faded with large sections gouged out. But it was not the moldy carpet or the worn walls that made this hallway so bad.

While the other floors had their fair share of broken parts, it was nothing compared to this. From where she stood, Nami couldn’t see a single spot on the floor not covered in the broken or dismantled parts of a chair or bed. A large mattress, torn to shreds in the middle was propped up against the door nearest them, its bed frame scattered all over the ground. It looked as if most of the furniture in the hotel was torn to pieces and left on the fourth floor.

“Wow,” Usopp muttered, standing next to her. “This is going to be hell to navigate in the dark.”

“I should have insisted Franky come with us.” Nami sighed regretfully and glanced up at the candle burning in the nearest sconce. Its flame was dim, and the shadows cast by the mess of furniture overwhelmed what little light there was. “His lights would have been useful right now.”

“You mean the nipple lights?” Usopp snorted. “I’d rather do without.”

Nami laughed a little, but the sound died quickly. She didn’t quite agree.

“Do we try to open this door? Or skip it?” Usopp asked, moving to the door that was blocked by the mattress. Opening that door meant having to move the mattress, and the thing looked massive and _disgusting._

Nami cast her gaze down the hall out of curiosity. All the doors in this hallways were blocked by furniture in one way or another. Most were a little better off than the mattress door, but not by much. It was as if something had conspired to make the doors harder to open here.

“We might as well try it,” Nami said. “On the count of three, we’ll push it.”

She counted to three, and together, she and Usopp managed to push the mattress away from the door. The mattress teetered for a moment, before it tipped backwards and landed with an alarmingly loud _thud_. Nami could feel the floor shudder beneath her feet, but nothing else happened. Nami sighed with relief, happy that the floor didn’t give out beneath them. With the state the hotel was in, she couldn’t be too sure that there wasn’t a danger of that happening.  For now, however, they were safe, and she reached out and tried to pull open the door that the mattress had been blocking.

No luck. The knob didn’t twist and the door remained firmly closed.

“Nope,” Nami said, frustrated.

Usopp shrugged and moved on. Nami followed, stepping carefully around the fallen mattress.

“I hope we don’t have to make a quick escape,” Nami said.

Usopp swallowed. “Why would you say something like that?”

“It’s a maze here,” Nami said. “Or maybe an obstacle course. We’d have a hard time getting out.”

“Nami,” Usopp whined. “You sound like Robin.”

Despite the situation, Nami laughed. “I didn’t predict our death.”

“You’re right,” Usopp said, a sly grin on his face. Then he set his expression into one that was calm and unfazed. “’I hope we don’t have to make a quick getaway, or we might trip and be impaled on a stake’,” he said in a spot on imitation of Robin.

Nami laughed again. The sound was deafened by the massive amount of furniture, but it gave her a feeling of relief nevertheless. She climbed over a toppled dresser, feeling a little better than before.

The next door was blocked by several broken pieces of wood that might have all once belonged to the same chair, but in their current state it was hard to tell. Together, she and Usopp moved the pieces away, tossing them across the hall or to the side, out of the way enough to be able to reach the door. Nami dusted off her hands when they were finished and wished (not for the first time) that she could take a bath.

Usopp reached for the door this time, but after a moment of struggling, he gave up.

“Locked,” he declared.

The pattern continued. They would make their way carefully through the ocean of furniture, clear it away from each door they came to, and try the knobs. Every one of them had been locked so far.

By the time they came to the last door, Nami had broken out into a sweat. Some of the furniture they had moved was heavy, and even with Usopp helping it was a difficult task. Her muscles ached from the effort, and her eyes were watering from all the dust.

“What happens if this door doesn’t open?” Usopp asked curiously.

“Then we go to the next floor,” Nami said it was if it were an obvious statement, but if this door was locked it certainly blew a hole in the theory that there was one of their crew members on every floor.. It would break the pattern the hotel had abided by so far, and that would raise a whole new round of questions into her mind.

“But first things first,” she said. “We try this door.”

Usopp nodded and tried to turn the knob. It turned with incredible ease, and the door creaked open. Nami and Usopp exchanged a quick glance to make sure the other was ready. That settled, they stepped into the newly opened doorway.

* * *

Nami hit the water before she even had time to make sense of the falling sensation. The cold, wet landing caught her off guard and she gasped in surprise, taking in a lungful of water in the process. She choked, and for a panicked moment she couldn’t breathe, and so she couldn’t move. She could feel the absence of air through every part of her body, and alarm bells were ringing through her mind. She was going to drown.

A shadow moved above her, cast in the light of the sun that sparkled down through a layer of water. _The surface!_ Her mind screamed at her to swim, to move up towards the light. She listened to her body’s instinctual command and shot through  the water, kicking her legs and pulling herself up with her arms as hard as she could.

She broke the surface, gasping and sputtering for air. She coughed, attempting to clear the water she’d accidentally inhaled. Beside her, Usopp was doing the same, wheezing in between coughing fits as he attempted to pull in clean, fresh air.

“I hate whosever dream this is already,” Usopp said, his voice hoarse from the burn of the salty water.

“It’s Sanji’s,” Nami said.

“How do you know that?” Usopp asked.

“Because the Baratie is floating right over there.” She pointed towards the floating restaurant. It looked the same as it had the last time Nami had seen it, minus the hole Luffy had accidentally blown into the side. A few other ships were anchored around it, no doubt patrons of the restaurant.

“Dammit,” Usopp grumbled. “Only Sanji’s dream would require a swim.”

Nami chuckled and led the way, starting the swim towards the floating restaurant on the sea.

They both managed to haul themselves up onto the ship’s deck, where they took a moment to rest. Nearly drowning, however brief the experience, drained Nami’s energy, and the swim to get here certainly didn’t help.

The sun was shining high above them. Nami could feel it warming her skin and drying her hair. She tried to wring out the fabric of her clothing as best she could, but the chill of water still clung to her. She sighed. At least she didn’t have to worry about sweating anymore.

“What luck I must have for god to send an angel to my ship,” a familiar voice cooed.

Nami tilted her head upward. Sanji was there in his ever present suit and apron, looking no different than the last time Nami had seen him. He was peering down at her lecherously, and Nami couldn’t help but to think, albeit a little bitterly, that that was just like usual as well.

“Sanji,” she said with some relief.

“My angel even knows my name!” He spun around in joy, his arms reaching into the air.

“Yep, that’s Sanji alright,” Usopp muttered, sitting up.

Sanji abruptly stopped spinning. He turned his gaze onto Usopp, his expression cold. Usopp cowered under the look. It was the same expression Sanji wore when he found out someone had been looting the kitchen.

“We don’t accept stowaways on this ship,” Sanji said. “You’ll have to see your way off.”

“He’s with me,” Nami said quickly, reaching to clutch at Usopp’s sleeve. “You wouldn’t send a lady’s attendant away, would you?”

She batted her eyelashes. Sanji, at least, was easy to coerce.

“Of course not!” Sanji kneeled and offered his hand to Nami. “Please, come inside. I’d love to treat you to a warm meal. And maybe some tea? It’s a poor time of year for swimming.”

“I’d love that, thank you.” She accepted his hand.

The Baratie was just as she remembered it. There were plenty of customers in Sanji’s dream, all dressed in the finest clothing they could afford, as those that sought out a meal at the Baratie usually were. Usopp and Nami in their plain clothing would have gotten enough attention on their own, but with both of them soaking wet, they stuck out like a sore thumb.

Sanji sat them at a table and passed Nami one of the menus for her to look over. He made sure to point out which dishes were his specialties, and offered her fine wine with each dish he suggested. When he’d fully explained the menu, he left them be, giving Nami an adoring smile and sparing a disgusted look for Usopp as he passed.  

“Yeesh,” Usopp grumbled, snagging the menu from Nami. “I don’t miss the old Sanji.”

Nami twisted her hair in her hands, attempting to wring out the remaining water. She fluffed it out, hoping it would dry in a presentable manner.

She shrugged. “At least he let us inside.”

“He let _you_ inside. I’m only here because I’m your ‘attendant’. Why did you have to say that anyway?” Usopp rested his chin in his hand. He looked like he was pouting.

“It’ll be fine,” she assured him, suppressing a smile.

She leaned closer to Usopp so she could look at the menu as well. She was so close, she could feel the heat radiating off his skin. It gave her goosebumps. Her own skin felt cold in comparison.

“Do you think anything here is edible?” she asked.

Usopp made a sound of discontent, and let the menu fall closed. “I doubt it.”

Nami sighed. “I miss Sanji’s food,” she said.

“I miss the Sanji that didn’t glare at me like he hated me,” Usopp muttered.

Sanji returned a few minutes later, a steaming mug on a tray alongside a towel.

“For you, my lady,” Sanji said, bowing as he presented Nami with the tea and the towel.

Nami thanked him, taking both from the tray. Once she had, Sanji straightened again and turned to Usopp.

“You,” he said. “You’re dripping on the carpet.”

Usopp looked like there was an avalanche of words he wanted to unleash on the cook, but he kept his mouth shut. Nami wasn’t sure if that was because Usopp knew this wasn’t really _their_ Sanji speaking, or if it was because Usopp was afraid of what might happen to him if he spoke up, but regardless, he held his tongue and picked up one of the napkins from the table to start drying his hair with.

“And what would you like to eat, my dear?” Sanji asked, turning a sweet smile on Nami.

“Um…” Nami shot the menu a look. She hadn’t even bothered to give it a proper look. She already assumed it would all taste the same: like nothing. “Whatever the chef recommends,” she said, flashing him a smile.

A drop of blood spilled from one of his nostrils.

“Okay!” He half-shouted, half-sang. “Right away!”

Usopp undid the tie in his hair, and let the curls hang loose over his shoulders while he tried to dry it out as best he could with the small piece of fabric.

“Here,” Nami said, passing the towel to him.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Nami said. “My hair is mostly dry anyway, and my clothes are as good as they are going to get for now.”

Usopp thanked her and quickly rubbed the towel through his hair, trying to scrub away every drop of water. The end result was a massive puff of unruly curls that made Nami laugh. Usopp struck a pose, obviously aware of how ridiculous he looked, before he joined in on Nami’s laughter.

People were definitely staring at them now, but Nami found them easy to ignore. The stress from the day seemed to melt away as Usopp made her laugh, so she couldn’t be bothered by other people’s reactions right now.

Nami wiped a tear from her eye as her laughter died down.

“This reminds me of old times,” Usopp said, looking around the dining room. “Remember? This is the first place we came after I joined.” He smiled fondly at the old memories. “Not much has changed.”

Nami smoothed her fingers thoughtfully over the thick fabric of the tablecloth. The memories of this place were sweet, but tainted with the bitterness of what came after them.

“I thought this was the last time I’d ever be happy,” she confessed. “I thought it would be the last time I’d ever get to be with you guys.”

Usopp watched her, but didn’t say anything.

She could feel tears pricking the backs of her eyes. She remembered vividly the sinking feeling in her gut when she knew she had to return to Arlong. She remembered the sadness she felt as she left the three boys behind. She remembered the bitter taste in her mouth as she acted like their enemy, as she pretended their friendship had meant nothing to her. She betrayed them, turned on them.

All she had wanted in that moment was a miracle.

One of Usopp’s fingers found her hand on the table. He traced along the scar that was still visible, left over from where she had run her hand through with a knife to save his life.

“Idiot,” he chuckled quietly. “I knew right away you weren’t going to leave us.”

Someone cleared their throat. Usopp snatched his hand away and looked anywhere but at Nami.

“Am I interrupting something?” Sanji asked. His voice was cool, but it was all directed at Usopp. The moment he turned to address Nami, his voice softened. “For you, my lady, the finest lobster tail in all the East Blue.” He set a plate down in front of her. “On the house.” He winked.

“Wait, did you say the East Blue?” Usopp asked. His attitude towards Sanji momentarily vanished.

“Yes?” Sanji answered, confused. “Where did you think you were?”

Usopp frowned. Nami watched him. She could tell he was on to something.

“What about the All Blue?” Usopp asked. “Shouldn’t you be there?”

Usopp was right, Nami realized. Sanji’s dream was the All Blue, shouldn’t the Baratie have been floating there? It seemed unbelievable that Sanji would give up life on his dream ocean just to be waiting tables back in the East Blue again.

“The All Blue is a myth,” Sanji said. His voice was dull, as if this were something he said so often that he was tired of repeating it.

“Yeah?” Usopp said, frowning. “But isn’t that the beauty of it?”

Silence fell between the three of them. Sanji was staring at Usopp, but not in the cold, uninviting way he had before. There was some mixture of admiration and frustration in Sanji’s eyes as he stared down at the sniper, but then he blinked and it was gone.

“There’s no such thing as the All Blue,” Sanji said, looking away. “It’s a kid’s dream.”

With that, he left them to eat their meal in peace.

“So what do we do?” Nami asked.

Usopp pulled a piece of lobster from her plate and chewed on it thoughtfully.

“Bleh,” he said, spitting the piece back out. “It doesn’t taste like anything.”

“Usopp!” Nami’s voice raised just a little too loud and several other customers turned to glare at her. She lowered her voice and in hushed tones said, “try to take this a little more seriously?”

“I am taking this seriously,” Usopp countered. “I just thought I would try to eat something before we brainstormed.”

“We don’t have a ship,” she reminded him. “So I’d really like to figure out a way to wake him up before we end up having to stay the night here.”

Usopp’s brow furrowed as he thought. Suddenly, he smiled.

“I’ve got it!” he declared.

“What is it?” Nami asked, her eyes widening in expectation.

“All you have to do is flash him! If he sees that, he might—“

Nami’s fist came down on his head before he had a chance to finish his sentence. A few people turned to look but quickly went back about their business when they caught Nami’s eye.

“Ouch!” Usopp cried. “Did you have to hit me?”

“Keep making stupid suggestions and I’ll hit you again,” she warned. “I ought to charge you for even _thinking_ about it.”

“No, please don’t,” he pleaded.

“Then shut up and use your brain to think of something _realistic_ ,” she said.

They fell quiet again. Usopp folded his arms across his chest and his mind seemed to drift away in his thoughts. Nami ignored him and tried to think up a plan herself.

How could they wake Sanji up? She almost wished Zoro was there. The way they fought, that kind of friction would be enough for anyone to wake up. But Zoro was still off somewhere in the hotel, lost in his own dream, and Nami and Usopp couldn’t get under Sanji’s skin nearly as well as their swordsman could.

“I don’t know, Nami,” Usopp finally said. He looked tired, as if thinking so hard wore him out. “It’s weird to think about how to ruin someone’s day.”

“It’s weird,” Nami said, “I thought he would be in the All Blue.”

“Yeah,” Usopp agreed, “Me too. But I guess it’s not that weird. I mean, Franky hadn’t even built the Sunny in his dream, so maybe it’s normal.”

“Maybe,” Nami agreed reluctantly.

“Maybe he just can’t visualize it?” Usopp asked. “He’s never been there before.”

“I don’t think so.” Nami shook her head. “I had never been to the place my dream was set in either.”

“Speaking of your dream...” Usopp started.

“Later,” Nami interrupted him quickly. “We have to wake Sanji up first.”

Usopp let the subject drop, seeming to turn his thoughts onto the task at hand instead. She suppressed a sigh of relief. Compared to the others, her dream seemed so shallow and selfish, it was too embarrassing to share. Her loved ones hadn’t even been around, her dream-self had been content to be living away from them. The thought made her stomach churn. Was she really like that? So selfish that she craved money more than she missed Bellemere? She felt so ashamed, sharing her dream was impossible. She didn’t want anyone to know how corrupt she was inside her mind, least of all Usopp.

“So the question we need to be asking is ‘why isn’t Sanji in the All Blue’?” Usopp asked after a few minutes contemplation.

“I told you,” a voice interrupted their conversation, startling them both. “The All Blue is a myth.”

Sanji placed a bowl of rice down in front of Usopp, his eyes averted as he did so. Of course Sanji wouldn’t have let him starve, that much was the same. A lot about Sanji was the same, except the Sanji they knew chased dreams, while this Sanji seemed content to deny them. That was the difference, Nami noted, and if she could solve the riddle behind why that difference existed, she might be able to wake Sanji from this dream.

Usopp opened his mouth, ready to argue with Sanji’s claim, but Nami silenced him with a kick under the table.

“Sanji-kun,” she purred seductively, the way she always did when she asked a favor of Sanji. It was the surest way to get him to both listen and agree with whatever would come out of her mouth next.

“Would you treat me to a date tonight?” She batted her eyelashes for extra effect.

Blood spurted from both of Sanji’s nostrils, and she was quick to avoid the stray drops. Sanji didn’t even bother to cover the flow.

“Is this reality?! Have I died? Of course, my angel! I would be delighted!” He spun in several circles, a strange victory dance of his own design. Nami could feel the headache she usually got from Sanji’s overly dramatic behavior building up between her eyes.

“Wonderful!” She clapped her hands together and smiled. “Then I will meet you outside on the front deck, just after sunset then?”

“Of course!” Sanji cried, pausing in his spinning just long enough to answer. There were tears of joy in his eyes. “I’ll await you, my love.”

“Thank you,” she cooed, brushing his arm as she stood. Usopp followed her unspoken cue, but he was shooting her a confused look. She ignored him for now.

“Then I will see you then,” she said to Sanji. To Usopp she said, “Come now, I must prepare for my date.”

They left Sanji behind them to mop up his own blood.

* * *

Out on the deck, Nami took a deep breath. The briny smell of the sea air grounded her. It smelled familiar, and warm. The East Blue smelt different from the Grand Line, somehow. The air lacked the inconsistent, unstable charge that the Grand Line held. It was purer, maybe, fresher. Nami breathed deeply again, savoring the air of her home waters.

“What the hell, Nami?!” Usopp exclaimed, his voice cutting through the soothing sound of gentle wave lapping against the hull of the ship.

Usopp leaned against the side of the building, rubbing his sore shin and shooting her looks as if she’d betrayed his trust in some way. She chuckled. He’d forgive her in no time, but he certainly liked to try to hold his grudge.

Everything in this dream was an illusion.The water and the air and the sounds of the ocean that Nami had once called home weren’t real. At least, not here. This was a dream. But Usopp, Usopp was very real.

“I’m sorry,” she said, barely managing to suppress her laughter. “It’s just, I have a plan.”

Usopp stopped rubbing his shin and his betrayed expression turned to one of interest. She was forgiven already.

“How is a date a good plan?” Usopp asked.

“What better way is there to get Sanji on his own?” She shrugged. “He’s not going to talk to us in a public setting like this.”

“So what should I be doing while you’re making fancy with our chef?” Usopp asked. There was a slight bitterness to his tone.

“You’ll be coming with me, of course,” Nami said. Her smile turned wicked. “You are my attendant, after all.”

Usopp cringed. “I think I’m coming down with a case of ‘I-really-can’t-play-your-attendant’ disease.”

“Nonsense.” Nami waved him off.

“One question,” Usopp said. “What are we going to wear? No offense, but you can’t exactly go on a date dressed like that.”

Nami looked down at her outfit. Her clothes were chosen for comfort rather than appearance, a side effect of having been in and out of her bed at all times of the day because of the storms. They’d been slept in and worse since then, and they’d definitely seen better days.

“You have a point…” she said, racking her brain for a solution. She couldn’t exactly go shopping right now.

Her eyes scanned the horizon. She would need to come up with a dress. A cocktail dress would be ideal, but at the moment she couldn’t really be picky. She eyed the ships that were moored around the restaurant. She wondered if she could steal one and sail it to the nearest island, but she knew that was impossible. She’d never make it back in time…

The solution came to her like a bolt of lightning, striking her brain.

“Follow me,” she said to Usopp, “and do exactly as I say.”

* * *

Nami and Usopp stood on the deck of the Baratie dressed in the finest clothes Nami could steal from one of the surrounding ships. The nice thing about the floating restaurant was that it attracted a certain high-class clientele. Nami managed to find an appropriate evening dress for herself and a simple but elegant suit for Usopp to wear as her attendant.

Behind them, the sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, bathing the sea around them in gold. Nami shivered as a breeze stirred the chill of the sea. She wasn’t dressed for warmth, that was for sure. Thankfully, Sanji was never late, so she wouldn’t have long to wait.

“Care to fill me in on the plan?” Usopp asked.

“This is it,” Nami shrugged, glancing over her shoulder. Any minute now Sanji would be here. “We’re just going to get him on his own and go from there.”

Usopp snorted. “I still think it’d be smarter for you to just flash him.”

Nami was in the process of crushing Usopp’s toes under one of her heels when Sanji finally arrived.

“Nami-swan!” he sang. “You look as charmingly radiant as ever. The sun pales by comparison!”

He knelt to the ground before her and took one of her hands in his. He pressed a sweet kiss to the back of her hand and presented her with a rose. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and forced a smile.

“This is beautiful, Sanji,” she said, taking the rose from him. “Wherever did you find a rose at sea?”

“For a lady such as yourself, there is nothing I would not search the world over to acquire.” He bowed deeply.

Usopp snorted again, and Sanji seemed to take notice of him for the first time since he’d arrived.

“Nami, my sweet.” He spoke quietly, as if Usopp couldn’t hear his hushed tones. “I thought that it would just be the two of us.”

“It would be unladylike to meet you alone for the first time,” Nami said. “You wouldn’t do anything to ruin my honor, would you?”

“Of course not,” Sanji said, looking stricken by her words. “If it makes you more comfortable, my dear…” he trailed off, a glare settling on Usopp. Usopp cowered a little under the look.

“Well then, shall we go, my dear?” Sanji asked, offering his arm to Nami.

She took it, and together the three of them entered the restaurant once more.

* * *

Sanji led them quickly through the dining area. There were only a few people inside at the moment, mostly couples cozying up to each other as the last light of day vanished outside the windows. Nami expected Sanji to seat her at a table among them, but to her surprise, he led her past the dining room and into the back, where the kitchen was located.

Several eyes turned their way immediately. She suddenly felt very aware of the length of the dress she had found, and self-consciously tugged the hem down.

“If you’ve got time to stand around and stare you’ve got time to clean!” Sanji barked at them. At once, the cooks of the Baratie turned away, busying themselves with other tasks. Meat hissed in hot pans and knives worked furiously through vegetables. Orders were shouted and tasks were distributed around the kitchen. Anyone who noticed Nami quickly looked away, their tasks keeping them too busy to care.

“In here, my love,” Sanji beckoned, leading her into a small space just off the kitchen. It looked like a small prep room, and over the scented candles Nami could smell faint traces of raw meat, but the table in the center was finely decorated, and Nami decided she could ignore the odd scent. Sanji pulled a curtain closed behind them, sealing off the view to the kitchen. It did little to hide the sounds, however, and Nami could still hear the crass language the cooks threw back and forth to each other as they worked.

“I am sorry, my angel,” Sanji said. “I expected a table in the dining room but…” he trailed off. “I was refused.”

No doubt by Zeff. Nami wondered if this “date” was fully approved by the head chef, but she didn’t ask. She needed Sanji to feel comfortable with her, not to be doubting his own decisions.

“It’s lovely,” Nami commented, smoothing one of her hands over the tablecloth.

“I’m so happy you think so!” Sanji crooned. “Now if you’ll excuse me for just a moment, miss, I’ll get our refreshments.”

With that he was gone, leaving Nami and Usopp alone, tucked away in some far corner of the Baratie’s kitchen.

“Charming,” Usopp grumbled, flicking one of the flowers that sat in the vase in the center of the table. “Sanji really tries too hard.”

“Don’t tell him that,” Nami said, chuckling. “Besides, some girls might like this.” She inspected the tablecloth more closely and trailed curious fingertips over the base of one of the candlesticks. “It’s too much for my taste.”

“You mean because it would cost too much to put together?” Usopp asked.

Nami scowled at him and refused to answer.

Sanji came back a moment later, a bottle of wine and two glasses in his hands. “For you, my lady, our finest wine,” he said, pouring her a glass.

She smelled it tentatively. The sweet but sharp aroma of the wine danced playfully in her nose. She sighed. The date might have been too expensive for her tastes, but she would have enjoyed being pampered. It was a shame she wouldn’t taste the finest wine the Baratie had to offer.

She set the glass aside. “Say, Sanji,” she started.

“Hold that thought, love,” he said, setting his glass down opposite of hers. “I’ll be right back.”

And he was gone again.

“He’s avoiding us,” Nami said.

“Huh?” Usopp frowned. “You think so? Isn’t this just the usual Sanji?”

“No.” Nami shook her head. “The usual Sanji is much harder to shake off.”

Usopp didn’t quite look like he believed her, but Nami didn’t bother to explain further. She was used to Sanji’s doting attention, she’d been the subject of most of it from the moment they met, and she could tell there was something off about his behavior.

Sanji disappeared and reappeared several more times with various plates of appetizers. He presented each one to Nami, swooning for her approval, before dashing off to get the next one.

“You will love these,” Sanji promised, presenting Nami with yet another dish. “Our vol-au-vents are famous throughout the East blue, and—“

“Sanji,” Nami interrupted. She calmly placed both her hands on the table, smoothing out the tablecloth between them. “Sit down.” The tone of her voice left no room for argument. It was the same voice she used when she was giving orders on the ship, and the voice she used when the others had cost her money. Beside her, Usopp flinched a little.

Sanji obeyed, sitting in the chair opposite of Nami and Usopp. He looked uncomfortable there.

“Is there something wrong, my flower?” he asked, his voice weak.

“Why are you here?” Nami asked. Her attempts at a subtle approach hadn’t worked, it was time to move on to plan B: direct attack. “Why aren’t you on the All Blue?”

Sanji’s mouth opened and closed several times, but words seemed to fail him. He looked away from them, fixing his stubborn gaze on the wall.

“There is no such thing as the All Blue,” he said, adamantly.

“But you don’t really believe that,” Usopp said.

Sanji’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You don’t really believe there is no such thing as the All Blue,” Usopp repeated.

“So, Sanji,” Nami said, “why are you denying the All Blue exists?”

A cold, wet sensation danced around Nami’s feet, seeping into her shoes. She looked down in surprise. The ship seemed to be taking on water. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to wet their shoes. Usopp seemed to notice as well. He lifted his feet out of the pooling water and shot Nami a look. Their plan was working.

Sanji, on the other hand, did not seem to notice the water gathering at their feet. The cooks on the other side of the curtain didn’t seem to notice either. Their communication and banter continued on, uninterrupted.

Sanji scowled and raked a hand through one side of his hair. “Because it isn’t real,” he said. “There’s no way somewhere like that could actually exist, someone would have found it.”

“Isn’t that someone supposed to be you?” Usopp asked.

“Wha-?” Sanji sputtered. “Why me? How could I even expect to find such a place?”

Nami could feel the cool water creeping up her legs. It was midway up her shins now, icy cold and turbulent. She tried to ignore the unpleasant sensation.

“That’s your dream, Sanji,” Nami said. “Right? Wasn’t it? You know it’s out there, why aren’t you looking for it?”

The water reached the seat of her chair.

“My dream is too big!” Sanji roared. “How am I even supposed to know if it’s real?! I could just be chasing legends!”

Silence followed Sanji’s outburst, lasting until Usopp asked, “So you’re afraid?”

“What if I am, long-nose? What would you know about it?” Sanji snapped.

The water lifted Nami from her chair. Almost to the table now, swirling and violent, like Sanji’s temper. The cooks of the Baratie remained unconcerned. Nami could still hear the hissing and sizzling of foods being seared to perfection.

“You know it’s out there, Sanji,” Nami said, frowning.

The briny seawater crept over the surface of the table.

“Oh man,” Usopp muttered. “I hate this part.”

Nami slammed both her fists on the table, splashing the water over herself as she did so. The candlesticks shook, one teetered before plunging into the icy water and meeting a quick death. The flame of the remaining candle flickers and quivered, casting long shadows around the small space. The noise from the other side of the curtain had stopped. It was silent except for the gurgle of the water and the chattering of Usopp’s teeth.

“Sanji,” Nami said, her voice cold, stern, and commanding again. “Wake up!”

The water rose above their heads, the final candle died, and everything was dark.

* * *

The three of them woke, gasping desperately for air. It took a moment for them to shake the remnants of the dream off and control their breathing again. Nami could still feel the cold sting of seawater against her skin. It made her shiver.

The familiar sound of a cigarette lighter flicking to life seemed to chase away the last of the chill. Sanji held his cigarette with steady hands, watching the cherry red of the burning paper and tobacco for a moment with a serious expression. His brow furrowed, and his lips pulled into a disgusted sneer before he folded in on himself, pressing his forhead into the palm of his free hand.

“Sanji?” Nami called him softly, pushing herself up from the floor. She tried not to look too closely at the rotting carpeting. “Are you okay?”

“I’m an idiot, Nami-swan,” Sanji said. He sounded tired.

“What’s new?” Usopp snorted.

Sanji raised his head and shot Usopp a dark look. The sniper flinched and ducked behind a chair instinctively, but Sanji only sighed and casted his glare elsewhere.

He rose from the bed, straightening the collar of his shirt and adjusting his cuffs. He stood straight, looked confident, but still wouldn’t look in their direction.

“You know, Sanji,” Nami said, taking a few steps closer. “The All Blue is definitely out there.”

“Of course it is, Nami-swan,” Sanji nodded once.

“And if you feel like you’re dream is too big, we can help you carry it.”

He turned to face her, finally. He tipped his head to the side as if considering her words. Then he reached out to her pulling her too him with one arm.

“Thank you, Nami-swan,” he said. She could hear the smile in his voice.

“You’re welcome,” she said, smiling herself. “But if your hand wanders any lower, I’ll put you back to sleep.”

“Yes, mellorine!” he cried, releasing her and stepping away. “And thank you too, long-nose,” he added nodding in Usopp’s direction.

Sanji took a drag of his cigarette. “So,” he said. “Where are the others?”

Apparently he was keen to put the whole dream in the past. That was fine with Nami.

“Asleep, I assume,” she said. “Except Franky, he said he wanted to check on the ship.”

“Those lazy bastards,” Sanji said quietly, almost to himself. “Of course I’d expect no less of that shitty moss head. Ah!” he suddenly shouted. “But Robin-chwan needs our help!”

Nami sighed. “Yes, Robin… and the others.”

“Robin-chwan!” Sanji shouted again. “You need not worry! Your prince is coming to save you!”

As if on cue, Usopp’s stomach let out an uncomfortable growl. Nami could feel a hollow gurgling in her own stomach reflect the feeling. She was starving, and the food in Sanji’s dream had done nothing but teased her.

The sound of Usopp’s stomach brought Sanji up short. He stopped his spinning and cooing almost immediately, and instead pulled a cigarette out of the pack in his pocket.

“Are you hungry?” Sanji asked, lighting up his cigarette and taking a deep drag. “I’ll make something.”

“With what?” Nami asked. She glanced around the room at the half rotten furniture and the general disrepair. “I’m afraid to know what the kitchen here must look like.”

“You’d be surprised Nami-swan,” he said. “I will come up with something for us. The others will probably be hungry as well. Luffy’s missed a couple of meals.”

He didn’t need to say anything more. The first thing Luffy would want when he woke up was food, and he’d be insufferable until he got it.

“It might take some time. You two go on ahead, I’ll get started on some food. Send anyone you find down.” He started to leave the room but then stopped, turning to Usopp. He placed a hand on his younger friend’s shoulder. “You have a very important job, Usopp. I’m trusting you to find Robin-chan, and to keep Nami-san safe.”

“And the others?” Usopp asked, raising an eyebrow.

“They’re fine,” Sanji stepped back, waving his hand dismissively. “I’m trusting you.”

“Sure.” Usopp shrugged.

“Good.” Sanji nodded and after giving Usopp a final thumbs up, he slipped out the door.

“He makes me tired,” Nami said, rubbing out her headache.

“Me too,” Usopp said. “Come on, we should go.”


	6. Chapter 6

Nami slapped a hand over her nose and mouth as they headed up to the fifth floor.

“It stinks,” she groaned through her fingers.

It smelled earthy, but putrid and rotten.  The smell got to her even through her fingers, and it filled her mouth with a rancid taste.

“I don’t know what’s worse, the smell or the taste it’s leaving in my mouth,” Usopp said, pinching the base of his nose closed.

The corridor itself was relatively neat by the hotel’s standards. It was free of furniture, broken glass, and whatever other debris the other halls had housed. The carpet was worn down and half rotted, and the ever present cobwebs still hung from the ceiling, but their path was clear. However, Nami would have gladly taken another hall blocked with furniture over the horrid smell that made her eyes water.

“It smells like manure,” Usopp said, pulling his hand away from his nose just long enough to sample the air. Tears instantly sprang to his eyes and he gagged. “If there were something decomposing in it.”

Nami could feel her stomach twist, and her mouth filled with spit as her throat tightened. She was going to be sick. “Usopp,” she said, trying to swallow down the feeling, “please stop.”

The carpet crackled under their feet, the fibers stiff with grime. The wallpaper was streaked with rust colored marks that looked suspiciously like they might have been blood, hand prints smeared into the peeling paper in a desperate pattern. The hallway looked like a poorly decorated haunted house, but it made Nami shudder. She clung closer to Usopp to avoid going too near the walls.

Most of the doors on this floor were boarded shut, narrowing their options from five doors to just two. It was a small blessing. The sooner they found the right room, the sooner they could get away from the terrible smell. It chilled Nami to the bone to think about where the smell might be coming from, but she would be more than happy not to find out.

“Which one do you think?” Usopp asked. His voice was nasally under his hand.

“I don’t know,” Nami shrugged. “You take one, I’ll take the other?”

Usopp nodded and moved to the door at the far end of the hallway, leaving the one in the middle for Nami. Dark handprints stained the wood, looking as if someone had beat against the door with bloody palms. Nami’s stomach twisted. She took a deep breath through her mouth, ignoring the acrid taste of festering rot, and reached out for the knob.

She twisted, and the door knob crumbled away in her hand. Red flakes of rust trickled from beneath her fingers and rained down to the floor like confetti. She jerked her hand away and attempted to shake off the remains of the crumbled rust. She stared at the remains of the handle, a misshapen post stuck through the door, looking as if a light breeze would make the rest crumble away.

“Nami!” Usopp called her attention away from the rusted door handle. “I got it!”

Nami brushed her hand off on her leg, leaving a rusty red smear on her skin. She groaned in frustration. When this was over she was taking a bath first thing. She met Usopp in front of his chosen door. It was cracked open just slightly, enough to allow a bright light to stream out from the other side.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Let’s go.”

Usopp let the door swing open fully, and together they pushed through the entrance.

* * *

Nami tripped over their feet as they were forced out of a small doorway. Bright light blinded her, and for a moment all she could register was a brilliant blue sky filled with rolling clouds before her back hit a stone pathway, knocking the air from her lungs. The sky filled with stars as her head cracked against the ground. She barely managed to catch her breath when Usopp landed on top of her with a cry, forcing the remaining air from her lungs.

Usopp swore and rolled off of her. “Sorry, Nami!” he said, scrambling onto his knees. “Are you okay?”

His worried face hovered over hers, blocking the sky from her view. One of his hands brushed her bangs away from her face and his dark eyes searched hers, heavy with concern.

Nami gasped and coughed, remembering once more how to breathe.

“I’m fine,” she croaked, her voice unsteady. She pushed herself up, and Usopp immediately moved to help her into a sitting position. “I’ve had better landings though.”

“Yeah.” Usopp laughed. “You looked pretty ridicu—“ He cut himself off when he caught the threatening glare on Nami’s face. He cleared his throat. “What I meant was: it happens.”

Nami shot him another look and pulled herself to her feet. Some gentle probing beneath her hair revealed that there was a knot forming on the back of her head. Her head throbbed every time her fingers brushed against the bump, and she pulled her hand away with a sigh. Add some of Chopper’s headache medicine to the list of things she was strongly in need of.

Nami turned to look at what had caused their fall. It was no surprise they had toppled out the way they had: the door to the little shed barely looked big enough for one person to pass through, never mind two.

Nami took in their surroundings. Long, untamed grass rolled in waves over the hills, and a gentle breeze made the leaves dance in the trees. The combined chirping of cicadas and birds rang out in the summer air. There were no people around, and aside from the small shed they had fallen out of, the only other building Nami could see was over on the next hilltop.

The sun was shining down from above, casting shadows from the branches around them. Nami stepped out into the light and sighed with relief. Dream or not, the sunlight warmed her skin and chased away the eerie chill the hotel gave her.

“I wonder whose dream this is,” she said happily, closing her eyes and letting the sun touch her face.

“I don’t know,” Usopp said, drawing nearer. “It kind of reminds me of home though.”

It did remind her a little bit of Usopp’s dream of Syrup village. The sunlight and the fresh air was comforting, the weather reminding her of the tropics surrounding Cocoyashi village as well.. But it wasn’t the weather that reminded her of her own home; it was the atmosphere, the feelings of peace carried by bird song and the gentle breeze.

It felt nostalgic and comfortable here, but it was different from both of their homes: the ocean was nowhere in sight, only an endless stretch of land that rose and fell like waves but remained frozen in time.

Nami took one last deep breath of warm summer air. “Come on,” she said to Usopp. “Let’s go see what we can find.”

They headed for the building on the hilltop, Usopp humming as they walked. It sounded like one of Brook’s sea shanties, the one about the drunken sailor and the horrible pranks the crew pulls on him. It was one of Sanji’s favorites, mostly because he liked to pointedly sing it to Zoro.

Though Usopp was not exactly musically inclined (his voice broke on notes that wandered above his speaking voice), Nami didn’t stop him. Instead, she hummed along, and laughed at the lyrics Usopp made up on his own. She hadn’t felt this good since before the storm.  

The storm they had been trapped in had put her nerves on edge, and countless sleepless nights had made her sensitive to every change in the wind. Even now, the sudden displacement of air had her on high alert, startling Nami out of her previous good mood.

“Duck!” she hissed, shoving Usopp hard enough to send him sprawling. She dropped down next to him just in the nick of time. Her eyes widened as she turned to see blades of clean cut grass drifting gently to the ground where they had been standing just a moment before.

“What was that?!” Usopp shrieked.

Nami silenced him with a hand to his mouth. She strained her ears; letting every nerve on her body stand at attention as she waited. She held her breath as boots stepped almost soundlessly across the grass. She strained her eyes to make out their attacker, but he moved too fast for her to follow with her vision along. She used her other senses instead, and could feel the push of the air, moving with his advance.

“To your left!” She shouted.

Usopp was quick to obey, rolling to his left over the grass. Nami followed after him, keeping low and moving as fast as her body would allow. She heard the slash of metal  as it sliced through the weeds, and she sprang to her feet. Instinctively, she reached for her Clima-Tact, but her fingers only met air. It wasn’t in the holster on her leg like it always was, and she couldn’t remember the last time she had seen it.

“Zoro!” She shouted.

He seemed to materialize from the grass. He moved with the frightening stealth and grace Nami had only seen Zoro use against enemies. Zoro didn’t look like the Zoro that Nami knew. His expression was too serious, all grim determination, flashes of anger, and a sadistic glint in his eyes.

“Did you really come to challenge me without weapons?” he asked, an air of smug superiority in his words. He let out a humorless chuckle. “Well then…”

“We’re not here to challenge you!” she said.

Zoro paused, seeming to take her words into consideration. To her relief, he sheathed his swords.

“If you’re not here to challenge me, then you have no business here,” he said, turning away.

“Hey, wait!” she called. “We just want to talk!”

“Nami.” Usopp spoke quietly, his voice only trembling the slightest bit. “I think we should go for now.”

“But…” She sighed, knowing he was right. Zoro wasn’t going to hear them out right now. “Fine.”

She watched Zoro’s retreating figure for another moment before she turned to walk back the way they came.

* * *

“Do you have your slingshot on you?” Nami asked.

Usopp looked around in surprise. He’d spent the last few minutes pulling up tufts of grass and scattering them around, his agitation making him restless. His slingshot and the bag he carried were missing.

“No,” Usopp replied, his surprise turning to disappointment. “I think the last time I had it was before I fell asleep. I didn’t even think about it.”

“My Clima-Tact is missing too,” Nami sighed. “It seems the hotel didn’t want us to wake up armed.”

“I wish Franky or Sanji were here,” Usopp moaned. “I bet Franky’s weapons all still work, and it’s not like they could take Sanji’s legs from him. And both of them could knock some sense into Zoro easily!” Usopp punched his fist into his opposite hand, then let them both fall limply into the grass. “What are we supposed to do?”

Nami stared at the building on the hilltop. That was probably where Zoro lived. It gave him the perfect vantage point of the surrounding area, and therefore the best chance to ambush his enemies.

“I don’t know,” she answered, sighing. “But we have to do something.”

“Can’t we just tell him we want to talk?” Usopp asked, pulling up another clump of grass.

“He’d cut our heads off before he listened to us talk,” Nami said. She fell back into the grass, staring up at the endless blue sky. She watched the clouds float by, trying to find shapes in them as she planned what to do next.

The idea struck her like a lightning bolt.

“Maybe that’s it,” she said, sitting up again.

“Maybe what’s it? Getting our heads cut off?” Usopp swallowed. “No way!”

“Think about it: When does Zoro ever listen to reason? Actions speak louder than words!”

“Nami.” Usopp frowned at her. “Are you listening to what you’re saying?” He placed a hand against her forehead. “Do you have a fever?”

She ducked away from his hand. “I don’t have a fever, I’m fine!” she said. “Come on, I know what to do about Zoro!”

“Nami!” Usopp grabbed her wrist, stopping her from getting up. “What exactly is the plan?” he asked.

“Zoro isn’t going to hurt us,” Nami said. “When have you ever known Zoro to kill someone who wasn’t even armed?”

Usopp was stumped by that one. He scratched his head, frowning as he considered the question.

“We have to show him that we know that, and that we aren’t afraid of him!”

“And how do you know he isn’t going to kill us?” Usopp asked, then he sighed. “Look Nami, I know Zoro isn’t a bad guy, but this isn’t the Zoro you and I know. He doesn’t remember us, or Luffy, or anyone. He’s Pirate Hunter Zoro! Demon of the East Blue!”

“He’s still Zoro,” she said, folding her arms over her chest.

Usopp swiped a hand over down his face. “I can’t change your mind, can I?”

“Nope.”

He sagged, his arms falling limp to his sides and his head hanging. “Fiiine, but if he kills us I’ll make you pay for it in the afterlife.”

“If we die, I’ll make it up to you,” she said, beaming at him. She grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. “Come on, let’s go wake up our grumpy swordsman.”

Usopp sighed in defeat and obediently followed behind her.

* * *

They headed back towards the hill, only this time Nami led them around the opposite side of the building. There were no trees surrounding them from this side, leaving only a wide grassy field for them to cross. It put Nami and Usopp at a clear disadvantage if their intentions had been to sneak up on the property. Since they didn’t, Nami hoped it would put Zoro’s mind at ease a little bit.

Sure enough, no one came to attack them even as they got close enough to make out the features of the building. It was a traditional styled house, old fashioned but charming. Out on the yard to the left was a variety of training dummies. Nami could see the front doors were thrown open, inviting in the pleasant summer breeze into a training room. This was no doubt where Zoro lived; it was suited to his every need. They would probably find his weight set if they had a chance to peek further inside.

Zoro was seated in the grassy field some distance from his home. His eyes were closed and his swords rested gently against his shoulder. He looked as if he were asleep, but when they drew closer he stood up. He looked more at ease and relaxed like Nami had hoped, but he also didn’t look very inviting.

“Oh man,” Usopp groaned. He clung to Nami’s arm as if she would shield him. She could feel him trembling. “Oh man, oh man.”

“It’s fine,” Nami assured him.

“If you’re here to challenge me, then draw your weapons!” Zoro called to them.

“We’re not here to challenge you,” Nami said. “Obviously. We aren’t even armed!”

Zoro seemed a little stumped by this. For a moment Nami could see his cool, tough guy exterior melt away, and she could see the idiot she had come to know over months at sea together.

“You’re saying you didn’t come all this way to seek out the world’s greatest swordsman?” Zoro asked, confusion furrowing his brow.

“A little full of yourself, aren’t you?” Nami asked, folding her arm over her chest.

Zoro frowned. “Then… why are you here?”

Nami opened her mouth to respond, when she noticed two people emerging from the open doorway of the house. One was a man, old enough to be Zoro’s father. He looked well-kept and moved with the same disciplined grace as Zoro whenever he held a sword, but his expression was less serious. Wrinkles were set around his eyes, suggesting he smiled often. The other person was a young girl, maybe twelve-years old. There was a mischievous gleam in the girl’s eyes that reminded Nami a little of Luffy. It was a look Nami had learned to dread.

“Is that your family?” Nami asked, curious.

Zoro glanced back at the two people that had come out and he scowled. He stepped sideways, sliding himself into Nami’s line of sight and hiding the two strangers from her vision.

“That’s none of your business,” Zoro said. “Why are you here?”

“To talk,” Nami said, shrugging. “We just need to talk to you.”

“Heh, yeah, right.” Zoro placed his white sword into his mouth, and readied his stance. “If that’s really all you’re here for…”

He moved slower than he normally would. She lost sight of him for only a moment when he finally made his move, but it wasn’t hard for her to find him again, and when she did she found it surprisingly easy to follow his movements.

It would have been easy to dodge him too. She felt Usopp tugging at her arm, begging her to leap to the side with him, but something told Nami to hold her ground. It was the same gut instinct that led her out of storms. It had never steered her wrong, and so she stood her ground even as Zoro rushed towards her, swords ready to attack.

She felt steel bite into her side, gouging into her skin just above her hip. She gasped in pain at the sudden sensation, raw red tendrils of heat searing from the wound and stabbing through her nerves. She grit her teeth around the sounds that threatened to spill from her mouth. She refused to cry out, refused to do any more than breathe and hope for the pain to pass.

She settled her hand over the wound on her stomach. Warm blood spilled out onto her fingers and panic seized her heart. Startled, she drew her hand away and looked down at the wound.

A clean, straight line was split into her skin. Sticky blood coated her hand and stained her shirt, running down to stain her skirt. It wasn’t deep, she could tell that much just by looking at it, but it was deep enough to draw blood, and it hurt like a bitch.

“God dammit, Zoro,” she cursed him, covering the wound with her hand once more. “I am increasing your debt for this!”

“Nami!” Usopp cried in alarm. He scrambled to his knees from where he had dropped down to avoid Zoro’s swords. Nami had been so distracted by Zoro’s attack and the slice on her stomach that she hadn’t realized he’d moved. He pulled Nami’s hand out of the way and pulled her shirt up in one fluid movement. “Shit! Okay, hold on!”

“I’m okay, Usopp,” Nami assured him, trying to sound as calm as possible.

“You’re bleeding!” he said, staring up at her. He looked so worried, she almost wanted to laugh, but his fingers prodding at the slice on her stomach made her wince instead.

Usopp turned. “Zoro—“

“Zoro!” A young girl’s voice cut Usopp off mid-sentence. The girl from the house came down the hill towards them. Her hands were balled into tight fists and she had an angry scowl set into her features. As soon as she was close enough to reach, Nami watched her pull her fist back and punch Zoro in the arm. She hit hard enough to make the great swordsman wince.

“Kuina, what the hell?!” Zoro shouted, barely managing to sidestep out of the way of her next punch.

“What do you think you’re doing?! Putting on your stupid tough guy act. They aren’t even armed!” The girl, Kuina, shouted at him.

“I didn’t kill her!” Zoro defended.

“You idiot!” Kuina kicked at him, missing him by a few inches as he retreated away from her. Then she turned to Nami and Usopp. Usopp flinched as she did so, obviously fearing the same treatment. Nami stared with wide eyes, shocked by the young girl’s brash attitude.

“I’m sorry about the big idiot over here,” she said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder at Zoro. “Would you like to come in for some tea? And we can bandage you up there.”

“Sure,” Nami accepted. She liked this girl. “Thank you.”

“The least I could do.” Kuina shrugged. She waited for Usopp to stand up and then led them up towards the house.

“You’ll have to forgive Zoro,” she said as they walked. “He’s had a ton of challengers ever since he got the title of ‘world’s greatest’, so I guess he’s just in the habit of attacking first and asking questions later.” She shrugged, then lowered her voice before continuing. “Even though I can still beat him.”

“I can hear you,” Zoro grumbled. Nami and Usopp started, turning their heads at the same moment. At some point while Kuina had been talking, Zoro had fallen into step behind them.

“And that last match between us didn’t count!” he added.

Kuina snorted but didn’t bother to retort, and as they had reached the house, she didn’t have time to.

The older man greeted them when they reached the house. He smiled at them both, his face peaceful and serene.

“Welcome,” he said to them. “I’m sorry about Zoro’s rude greeting. I believe he means well.”

Zoro made some kind of choking noise behind them and Nami and Usopp had to keep their laughter quiet.

Kuina and the man that must have been her father led them into the home. They bypassed the training room and settled into a quaint little room with little more than a table, some cushions, and a few wall decorations. The simple, traditional room reminded Nami instantly of Zoro, a man of few material possessions.

She wondered how Zoro was related to these people. She figured they might have been his father and sister, but while the girl and the older man looked related, neither of them looked at all like Zoro. Both of them were dark haired, with dark eyes and delicate features. Neither of them had green hair or deep set eyes that made them look like they were permanently scowling.  Perhaps they were distant relatives, or maybe Zoro was their family the way Nojiko and Nami were family; not by blood, but by something just as strong.

Zoro didn’t enter the little room. He stopped and settled himself down outside the doorway. It was apparent that while his family was happy to accept Usopp and Nami into their home, he was not. He looked relaxed enough though. He’d probably fall asleep that way.

The older man introduced himself as Koshiro before leaving to prepare them some tea.. The young girl appraised them with bright, curious eyes for a moment before she spoke.

“So what brings you guys out here? It’s kind of a hard place to find.”

“Oh.” Nami and Usopp exchanged a look. Maybe they needed to start plotting their excuses ahead of time.

“We actually just came to talk to Zoro,” Nami said.

“Huh.” One of Kuina’s eyebrows quirked up. She didn’t look like she believed them. “How do you know Zoro?”

“He’s the world’s greatest swordsman, isn’t he?” Usopp chuckled.

“I meant besides the obvious,” Kuina answered with a deadpanned expression, not at all amused by Usopp’s weak attempt at humor.

Usopp struggled with words for a moment. Several false starts left his lips only to be cut off as he tried again. He gave Nami an idea, however, and she used quickly stepped in to his aid.

“Usopp here is a writer,” she said. “He came to write the story of the World’s Greatest, told first hand from the swordsman himself!”

That seemed believable enough, but Kuina’s eyes narrowed on Nami. “Then why are you here?”

Nami wanted to hit the little brat, but she couldn’t help but admire her keen eye. Fortunately, Nami had already thought up a believable excuse for that one too.

“I’m his girlfriend!” she said, attaching herself to his arm in the most affectionate manner possible. “He’s gone so long sometimes,” she said, pouting. “I made him take me along this time. I didn’t know it would be so dangerous!”

Her innocent act didn’t seem to sit too well with Kuina, but the girl seemed to accept the lie anyway.

“Oh, gross,” she said, wrinkling her nose.

Nami giggled and kissed Usopp on the cheek for good measure. His face deepened in color which only made her laugh more.

“Kuina,” Koshiro said, coming back into the room with a tea tray in his hands. “Don’t be rude to our guests.”

He kneeled down beside Nami, setting the tray on the table. “If you’ll let me,” he said, lifting a roll of bandages so that Nami and Usopp could see. “I’m quite used to bandaging up sword wounds.”

Nami pushed away from the table and lifted her shirt enough to allow Koshiro to work. “Thank you,” she said.

“It’s kind of weird,” said Kuina as she poured tea into each of their cups. “If you’re the writer, why is she the one getting hurt for you?”

Nami glanced at Usopp. She could see his cheeks darken in embarrassment at the question. He didn’t look at Kuina, averting his eyes and looking properly ashamed. She knew he felt bad, but she also knew he didn’t have a reason to. For all they knew, Zoro might have really tried to kill Nami. She was just more stupid and stubborn than Usopp, and had held her ground when she should have listened to him and moved.

But she couldn’t say anything to assure Usopp that he hadn’t been wrong. In his mind, this was another mark of cowardice against him, and he wouldn’t forgive himself. Later, if she had the chance, she would try to talk to him, but for now she held her tongue. It wasn’t the right moment for that.

“I’m his partner,” Nami answered for him, knowing there wasn’t a good excuse Usopp could come up with. “He wouldn’t be able to do the writing if something happened to him, so I volunteered myself instead.”

“Uh-huh.” Kuina looked doubtful, but didn’t say anything more.

“Kuina,” Koshiro said again, his voice more stern, but surprisingly low and quiet. His fingers were so gentle as they wiped the blood away from Nami’s wound and laid the bandage over it, and there was something about his presence that was very serene and calming. But when he spoke Nami could hear a kind of power in his voice that made her just a little bit afraid.

“Sorry,” the girl muttered, looking put out by her father’s tone of voice.

“You’re all done…” Koshiro trailed off.

“Oh. Sorry. I’m Nami.”

“Nami,” he finished. Then he stood and took a seat next to Kuina.

Nami slid herself closer to the table as well,  and forced a sip of her tea. Just like food, it had no real taste or consistency, but she was getting better at faking it.

“When our tea is finished, I will leave the two of you to talk with Zoro.” Koshiro glanced at the doorway, where a sliver of Zoro’s frame was just barely visible. “Though I’m not sure you’ll be able to get much out of him.”

“Zoro doesn’t like strangers,” Kuina added.

“I know he doesn’t,” Nami muttered, trying not to sound bitter.

It wasn’t that Zoro didn’t like strangers, it was just that he held a general indifference for most people. Unless they were his friend or his enemies, he didn’t have much interest in forcing a conversation with them. Nami imagined that would be no less true for her and Usopp, because although they were friends in another life, here Zoro had no knowledge of them. But they hadn’t come this far to give up, and Nami wasn’t going to let Zoro sleep all day when there was work to be done.

“How do you know?” Kuina asked with some surprise.

Nami faltered, mentally kicking herself for not thinking before she spoke, but thankfully Usopp managed to cover for her.

“We’ve heard a lot about him,” he said.

She gave him a grateful look, thankful all over again for his presence. They worked pretty well together like that. Usopp was probably the person she felt most connected to on the ship, after all. She loved all of her nakama, sure, but Usopp was different. He wasn’t fearless, strong, or battle hungry. She could always count on Usopp to be the voice of reason, even when she was blinded by the prospect of treasure.

“Huh.” Kuina frowned. “You shouldn’t believe everything you hear in rumors.”

“Trust us,” Nami said, “we don’t.”

The four of them fell silent after that, with only the gentle sounds of the wind and a soft tapping of one of Kuina’s fingers against the floor between them. Usopp absently sipped at his tea, though Nami knew it was flavorless and had no texture. Koshiro regarded them both, his face set in a peaceful smile, but he didn’t say anything else. Nami felt as if he was trying to read her, and it made her feel uneasy. But he didn’t seem to mean her any harm, so she tried to ignore it. Kuina looked bored, and stirred her tea with one finger.

Kuina seemed like a being of constant motion, as if she were the very opposite of Zoro. Where Zoro was content to spend long periods of time unmoving out on the deck, tucked into a corner of the galley, or hiding up in the crow’s nest, Kuina seemed like she needed to be moving at all times. It was as if her body were stored with energy that she needed to keep moving to release. She tapped her toes and flexed her fingers, repeatedly straightened and folded her legs. Her eyes moved between the people in the room, and then to the objects, and then to the walls and back again. She was constantly in motion. But her movements were never jerky or sloppy. Even the most casual of movements was acted out in a smooth and deliberate flow. Her moves were studied, disciplined, the way Zoro’s were anytime he held a sword. Only these movements were as natural to her as breathing, her grace and balance and careful precision were all acts born from years of study and training.

“Are you a swordsman too, Kuina?” Nami asked, suddenly so curious about this little girl who moved so carefully, even more so than Zoro.

 “Yeah!” she exclaimed. “I told you! Zoro’s the ‘world’s greatest’ but I can still beat him.” Her excitement faded a little, but the smile still remained on her face. “I’m the only one he’ll never be able to beat.”

Nami had a hard time believing that. Zoro was a full grown adult, built with thick, heavy muscle. Kuina was still just a kid, small and lean. And while she might have had some muscle of her own, it was small and poorly defined. Her body still had a lot of growing to do before it could compete with Zoro’s. If Kuina was telling the truth… well, Nami was curious to know .

They sipped at their tea absently. When Nami was finished with hers, she set the empty teacup back on the table. The strange texture and tastelessness aside, it wasn’t too bad. It was better than trying to eat solid food that turned to vapor in their mouths. That was too much of a sudden change for them to stomach, but the tea was bearable.

When the last cup had been finished (Kuina’s surprisingly) Koshiro rose from the table, tea tray in his hands.

“Come, Kuina,” he said as moved. “Let’s leave Zoro to speak with his friends.”

Kuina gave them one last unreadable look, some mixture of distrust and familiarity, and left the room behind Koshiro. On her way out, she cuffed Zoro in the back of the head, hard enough that he lurched forward in alarm. Nami watched him rub his head and shoot a glare towards the young girl as she laughed and darted down the hallway. His face settled into an expression Nami wasn’t used to seeing on Zoro’s face: one of complete calm. He looked so peaceful as he looked after Kuina’s retreating form.

Then he turned to glare at them, and the illusion was shattered.

“We are not friends,” Zoro said, correcting Koshiro’s earlier statement. Then he settled against the door once more and was still.

The statement had seemed odd to Nami, too. True, Zoro was their friend in his waking life, but here in his dream they were strangers. It was an odd comment to make, even in passing, and coming from someone who knew Zoro.

A breeze blew outside, threading through wind chimes, causing them to play a gentle melody. The sound was faded and muted in the little room they were in, but it was a calming sound nonetheless. Nami closed her eyes. It was strange that a man as battle hungry and ambitious as Zoro could have a dream that was so peaceful.

She wasn’t sure of how to proceed from here. Zoro would never listen to reason the way the others might have. He was stubborn, set in his ways, and if he accepted this dream as reality, it might be impossible to wake him up from it.

She opened her eyes again, looking to Usopp. She intended to ask if he had any ideas about how to proceed from here, but the look on the sharpshooter’s face was so troubled the words died before they left her mouth. Despite the peace of this dream, Usopp looked as if there was something bothering him, something deep and painful.

He wasn’t looking her way. He was glaring down at the table, his brows furrowed, an expression on his face Nami had not seen since that day he had heard about the Merry; the day he challenged Luffy to a duel, and when she thought he’d left them for good…

She shook the thoughts from her head. Usopp wasn’t going anywhere; he was here now, and that was what mattered. However, he did have something on his mind, something that stuck deep, and that was the issue she had to address first.

“Usopp, what’s—“

At the sound of her voice, he jumped, seeming to crash land back into reality. He looked around wildly for a moment, and then his eyes settled on Zoro in the doorway. He didn’t acknowledge that Nami had spoken at all, but his eyes narrowed in anger at Zoro.

“How long are you going to sleep?” Usopp asked. There was a sharpness to his voice that surprised Nami. He was usually so friendly and passive that the bite behind the words seemed unnatural.

Zoro chuckled. “I’m not sleeping.”

“You are,” Usopp said, his words tumbling out so fast they almost cut Zoro’s off. “Right when your nakama need you, you’re taking a nap.”

Zoro stiffened. The line of his shoulders grew incredibly still. Outside, in the distance, Nami could hear the wind chime’s tune growing faster and more erratic as the wind picked up. She could feel the floor beneath her start to tremble.

Zoro turned to face them, twisting his body around the edge of the doorframe. His face was the picture of anger, offended by Usopp’s words, but he didn’t draw his swords. Something stayed his hands.

“What are you talking about,” Zoro asked, his glare narrowing on Usopp. It was a look that could kill, full of venom and warning.

“Luffy, too! Are you just going to keep sleeping while your captain is in trouble? You gave me hell for turning my back on Luffy!” Usopp continued, his voice rising.

Nami looked from Zoro to Usopp. Zoro had given Usopp hell? It shouldn’t have surprised her. She remembered Zoro’s anger on Water 7, and his refusal to accept Usopp back onto their crew until he apologized properly. She had thought that everything was forgivenonce Usopp had made his apologies, but maybe that wasn’t the case. Maybe for Zoro there was still a lesson he needed to drive home into their sharpshooter, and Zoro’s lessons were never easy.

Zoro drew back, confusion marring his features. He fought to keep the anger apparent on his face, but it was fading, and something else was beginning to take its place.

The clanging of the wind chimes had become muffled, an ugly bump of metal on metal caused by its tangled ropes. The room began to shake more vigorously, enough that the few decorations hanging along the walls fell from their places. Dust and bits of plaster rained from the ceiling. Nami looked up warily, watching cracks form long, winding patterns across the space above them.

“Usopp...” Nami warned.

Usopp and Zoro didn’t seem to notice. They were glaring at each other, frustration and anger boiling behind their eyes. Nami had never seen them look at each other that way before, and it scared her.

“At least after I betrayed Luffy, I had the decency to help my friends when they were in need,” Usopp said. He wasn’t shouting. His voice was calm, but deadly. Spiteful.

Zoro’s brows furrowed, like he was remembering something he’d forgotten.

A chunk of the ceiling broke away, falling down from above. It clipped Nami’s shoulder as it fell, smashing into the bone and scraping across her skin. She cried out, pain tearing her voice from her throat before she could stop it.

Usopp and Zoro both turned to look at her. Usopp’s face registered alarm as he finally began to notice just how bad things had become. Zoro didn’t move from the doorway, but his face had changed. Shock, surprise, and recognition seemed prominent, and Nami could see his confusion plainly the way one of his hands reached for the swords on his hip, though they only held one of the hilts in a light grip. He was caught between the reality of his dream and the reality of his memory.

“Come on, Zoro!” Usopp said, turning away from Nami just long enough to look their swordsman in the eye again. “Our friends need us. Luffy needs us!”

Time almost seemed to freeze for a second. The violently shaking ground, the cracks spreading across the ceiling and up the walls, the broken sound of the tangled wind chime – everything seemed to freeze for a fraction of a second.

Zoro stood from where he’d been sitting, and took a tentative step into the room.

“U…sopp?” He said slowly as the recognition sank in.

The ceiling gave way with a loud _crack_ , burying them under dust and debris.

* * *

Nami woke to the sound of Zoro’s heavy gasping. He was sitting up in bed, a hand pressed to his chest, deep, heaving breaths wheezing in and out of his lungs. The room around them was rotted, putrid, but intact.

She pulled herself off the floor, trying not to think about the dampness clinging to her. Usopp was next to her, looking everywhere but at Zoro. He seemed alright, a little dirty from the hotel, but unscathed, and aside from the determination with which he avoided Zoro’s gaze, he seemed relaxed enough.

Zoro pulled himself from the bed. He looked around, his expression angrier than Nami had seen it yet.

“Where are my swords?” he asked. Without waiting for an answer he stomped to the bathroom attached to the room, practically tearing the door from its hinges in his search.

“I don’t know,” Nami said. “My Clima-Tact is gone too, and so is Usopp’s slingshot.”

At the mention of Usopp’s name, Zoro froze, and turned to look at the two of them. His eyes fell on Usopp, and held there. Usopp didn’t look his way, he seemed to suddenly find the candelabra on the wall fascinating.

Zoro blinked and looked away, tearing through the bathroom in search of his weapons. When he was finished with the bathroom, he tore into the room’s closet, scattering moth eaten fur coats and other assorted old clothing around the room. He upended tables and chairs, ripped up the carpeting, and put a hole in the wall in what could only be described as a frantic search. Nami had never seen Zoro look so desperate. It wasn’t the first time his swords had been taken from him, but this time he seemed more afraid of going on without them. The idea of Zoro afraid of anything gave Nami chills.

His search of the room finally led him back to the bed. He dropped to his knees to look under the mattress, pulling out a pair of moldy slippers and a few broken bedsprings out of his way. He stood again, and taking the corner of the bedding in one fist, he ripped it away.

There, in the sheets, right next to where Zoro had been lying, was one of his swords. It was the white one, the one even Nami, who had no interest in swords at all, couldn’t help but admire. It had been by Zoro’s side for as long as she had known him.

The other two swords were still missing, but Zoro visibly calmed. He took it in both hands and sat back down on the bed. He almost seemed to cradle it, handling it with a careful grip. His fingers and thumbs brushed along the scabbard almost reverently.

The soft expression on Zoro’s face was familiar to her now, though no less surprising to see.

“Were those people your family?” she asked, curious.

For a minute she didn’t think Zoro would answer her. It wouldn’t have been the first time he ignored her questions when he felt she was being too nosy. He kept his gaze on his sword, lost in thought, his brows furrowed just a little.

But finally, he spoke.

“They are very important to me.”

Nami let the subject drop after that. She sat quietly, letting Zoro inspect his sword for damage and regroup his thoughts. She watched him as he carefully handled his sword. There was something about it, maybe the way it shined in the light, or the fluid way it moved as Zoro gave it a few practice swings, that made her think about the girl in Zoro’s dream.

Before she had the chance to think on it, Zoro stood once again and slid his sword into this haramaki.

“Are the others still asleep?” he asked.

“Yeah,” answered Nami. “Well, except for Franky and Sanji. Franky is out with the ship and Sanji said he was going to try to make us some food.”

Zoro scoffed at the mention of Sanji, and muttered something that sounded like “shitty cook,” but Nami couldn’t be sure.

“Well, we better go get the rest of them,” Zoro said, folding his arms over his chest.

Nami stood up, and Usopp followed her lead, brushing himself off. He was trying to look casual and failing miserably.

Zoro led the way to the door, walking with purpose and determination. He walked past Nami and started past Usopp but then stopped, turning to look at the sharpshooter. Usopp avoided his gaze, but didn’t back away or move. If anything, Usopp looked as if he were trying to disappear into himself.

Zoro raised one of his hands and placed it on Usopp’s shoulder. Usopp flinched, but relaxed when he realized Zoro wasn’t going to kill him. Zoro squeezed his shoulder gently, and then released him, turning away.

“Thanks,” said Zoro, and then he moved away, opening the door and stepping into the hallway beyond.


	7. Part 1

Nami immediately slapped a hand over her nose and mouth to avoid the awful smell of the hallway, but the rancid odor seemed to have dissipated a little bit in the time they had spent in Zoro’s dream. It still smelled bad, bad enough that even the usually stoic Zoro pulled a face, but it didn’t have the same effect as before.

“I wonder if the hotel is getting weaker,” Nami mused aloud.

“What do you mean?” Usopp asked.

“If keeping us here is it’s source of energy, I wonder if it’s power gets weaker and weaker every time we wake someone up. The hallway doesn’t smell half as bad as it did before.”

Usopp sniffed the air and winced. “Still smells bad enough. Besides, I don’t know if that really means the hotel is getting weaker, maybe we just got used to the smell.”

“Maybe…” Nami said, skepticism obvious in her voice. The odor of the hallway was not the kind of smell someone could get used to.

“It doesn’t really matter anyway, right?” Usopp shrugged. “As long as we get everyone out of here, I’d be happy to put this creepy hotel behind us.” A shudder rippled through him as on cue. “By the way, how’s your arm?”

“My… arm?” She hadn’t thought about it until Usopp asked. The memory of a chunk of ceiling hitting her arm as it fell was faint, fading fast the way the details of dreams sometimes do after one wakes up. She had remembered the startling pain, and the panic the suddenness of the injury had given her, but the sensations were muted, almost forgotten.

Tentatively, she raised her arm. The muscles under the skin tightened and pulled, but there was no pain. Curious, she looked down. She expected to see blood and raw flesh, torn open by the falling ceiling, but her skin was undamaged, speckled only with the scars of past battles. She stopped walking and tugged the hem of her shirt up.

“Whoa!” Usopp cried in surprise and twisted his head away quickly. “What the heck are you…” His indignant question trailed off, and a sudden realization seemed to override his sense of politeness, because he turned his attention to her almost as quickly as he had looked away. “Hey, where’s the cut Zoro gave you?”

Nami stared at her stomach. Gingerly, she pressed her fingers to the place that had, only minutes ago, sported a deep slice. There was nothing; the bandages, the pain, the entire wound had vanished. It was like it had never happened.

“It… was only a dream,” she said.

“What?” Usopp was looking at her with concern, as if he were worried for her sanity.

“The injuries. They never really happened. I only dreamed it.” She lowered her shirt and brushed a hand over her healed shoulder.

Usopp stared at her. “You mean we can’t get hurt inside the dreams?”

“It hurts,” Nami said. She distinctly remembered the pain of being sliced by Zoro’s katana and of the falling chuck of ceiling. “But it doesn’t hurt your body. I’m not sure I can explain it…” She bit her lip. “It’s like… it hurts your psyche, your mind. It doesn’t affect our waking bodies though.”

“So you’re saying we can take as much damage as we need to?” Usopp said. “Like, we can’t die in these dreams?” He wiped a hand across his brow and sighed. “I wish we had known that sooner. What a relief! This is way less scary now!”

“I don’t think it works that way,” Nami said.

Usopp frowned. “But you just said…”

“I said the wounds hurt your mind, not your body. Minor wounds might be easy to forget, it’s not like you remember every cut and bruise you’ve ever gotten right? But if you’re mind thinks it’s experiencing death, well…” She trailed off, leaving the rest of that idea unspoken.

“You mean if we think we’re dying in a dream, we might actually die?” Usopp’s voice rose to a squeak at the end. He stared at Nami as if she had just betrayed him in some way.

“Yeah,” Nami said. “That’s the idea.”

Usopp swallowed nervously. Nami could see the way his hands shook as he wiped the sweat from his upper lip.

“Well at least now, Zoro doesn’t have to feel bad, right Zoro?” Usopp’s laugh was shaky and forced. He turned to face their swordsman to tease him some more, but his steps faltered.

“Zoro?”

Nami turned to look behind them as well. The corridor was empty. Other than their shadows cast by the nearest candle, there was nothing.

“That idiot.” Nami rubbed her forehead in irritation. “He got lost already!”

“D-do you think that’s all it was?” Usopp asked, stumbling over his words. The terror was apparent in his eyes, making them wide and bright, though he was trying his hardest to keep a straight face.

“Of course that’s all it is,” Nami said, turning back around. “That moron can’t even walk a straight hallway without getting turned around! I swear the next time I see him I’m going to increase his debt just for the headaches he gives me!”

“B-but Nami.” Usopp’s voice wavered slightly. “What if he ends up falling back asleep?”

 “He’s a moron, but he’s not stupid. He’s not going to drop his guard again, he’s too strong to let the hotel take advantage of him twice,” Nami said. “You and I are the ones that should be worried.” She sighed.

Usopp whimpered a little. “I can’t wait to go back to Sunny and have a Sanji-cooked meal!”

“We’re almost there,” Nami said. They had reached the base of the stairs that would take them to the next level of the hotel. There were only three more of their nakama to go, three more dreams to get through. Nami took a deep breath.

“Come on, Usopp,” she said. “Let’s get our friends back.”

* * *

The next floor of the hotel was _freezing_. Nami hugged her arms around herself and tried to keep warm despite the fact that she was underdressed for the cold. A wind howled through the broken fragments of windows, and ripped through the hallway, stirring up cobwebs and chilling Usopp and Nami to the bone.

Nami couldn’t remember it being that cold outside before, certainly not cold enough to form ice along the walls of the hotel’s hallway. Maybe the temperature had dropped since they’d been in here. The storm would have gotten worse if that were the case, and she hoped the Sunny was still okay.

The candles flickered violently in their sconces as she and Usopp made their way down the hall. A few of the flames had already been extinguished thanks to the wind, leaving long stretches of darkness for Usopp and Nami to try to navigate.

They clung to each other, Usopp out of fear and Nami from the cold. Usopp’s body was surprisingly warm despite the chill and Nami latched on to him like a lifeline. He would keep her from freezing to death.

It would have been faster for them to split up and search the doors separately, but neither of them seemed inclined to do that. Instead they moved from one door to the next, trying each one as they went, finding each to be locked. They moved one from one to the next, until they were facing the next stairwell, the one that would lead them to the seventh floor.

Nami and Usopp stopped and turned to each other in confusion.

“They were all locked,” Usopp stated. “What does that mean?”

“I don’t know.” Nami shook her head and frowned.

Until that point, the hotel had been following a very distinct set of rules. There was one of their crew on each floor, and they were never stuck behind a locked door. Usopp’s door had been jammed, but the handle had turned easily, meaning it had never been locked.

Why would the pattern suddenly change? Was that the hotel’s way of throwing them off track? If so, it was working. Nami wasn’t sure how to proceed. She didn’t know if they should stay on this floor and try to force the locked doors open, or if they should move on to the next floor and hope for the best. Logically, she told herself it made sense to move on. There was no use getting tied up here when they could move on and come back. But there was something in her gut that stayed her feet. What if something happened to their nakama if they were passed by on accident?

The uncertainty of their next move kept Nami rooted in her spot. She stared into the darkness, back down the hall they had just come from. The candles in the middle of the hall had been extinguished, making that part of their journey the most terrifying. She squinted into the black abyss, trying to make out the candles on the other side, but they were so far down the hall she couldn’t make out their light. There was something else in the darkness though, something that seemed to spark at her mind.

“How many doors did we try?” she asked suddenly.

“All of them,” Usopp answered, confused.

“No.” Nami looked away from the darkness and directly at him, leveling him with a gaze that told him she was serious. “I mean how many, exactly.”

“Uh…” Usopp stopped to consider it. It was obvious by the look he was giving her that he had no idea what was going on in her head, but she didn’t take the time to explain it. Not yet, anyway. There was something she wanted to make sure of first.

“Four?” He said. His voice didn’t sound entirely sure.

“Four?” Nami repeated. “You’re positive?”

“Well, yeah?” Usopp frowned. “I mean, I didn’t really keep count, but I’m pretty sure it was four.”

“Four,” Nami said again, “then we missed one.”

“What?”

“Every floor has five doors,” Nami explained. “If we only tried four doors, then we missed one.”

“But, where? How? We tried every door we came across.” Usopp stared down the hallway, no more enlightened than he had been before. He didn’t see what Nami saw in the dark. Or rather, what Nami _couldn’t_ see in the dark.

She pointed into the inky blackness that stretched out beyond the light of the little candle. 

“We missed a door in there. We got distracted by the darkness,” she explained.

“No way!” Usopp cried. “That part was way too creepy, there’s no way I’m going back in there!”

“Usopp.” Nami turned to him again and frowned. She let her arm fall to her side. “One of our nakama is trapped in there.” She reached forward, sliding her hand into his. She squeezed it gently and then pulled him with her as she stepped back down the hallway. “I know you’re braver than this.”

Usopp stared at her, disbelief written on his face. “We both know I’m a coward,” he said.

Nami laughed. “Not right now you aren’t.” They continued to walk, with every step, the light grew dimmer, and her view of him faded. “You’re even braver than the great warrior you dreamed of being.”

He was completely invisible to her now, the darkness too thick to make out his features. She reached her free hand out, sliding it along the wall next to her. She would never find the door by sight; she would have to find it by touch.

Usopp’s fingers twitched against hers, a sort of nervous convulsion, and then they gripped her hand with assuring pressure.

“Thanks, Nami,” he muttered in the darkness.

“You owe me later.” She laughed again.

Her hand brushed against something ice cold. It made a small metallic clink when she hit it, and she stopped moving. Her fingers carefully surveyed her discovery, tracing over freezing but ornately sculpted metal.

“We found it,” she said. She pulled Usopp’s hand with her own, brushing it against the metal of the doorknob. He flinched at the unexpected cold.

“You were right,” he said. There was a kind of awe in his voice.

“Of course I was.” She paused, reveling in a moment of silence and peace. Then she asked, “are you ready?”

“Yeah,” Usopp answered.

Nami twisted the doorknob and pushed into the room beyond.

* * *

Where the hallway behind them had been blinding darkness, the scene that greeted them now was blinding bright light. It was like a world of white surrounded them, bearing down on them from all sides with light and deafening white noise.

Wind whipped at their hair and clothing, making Nami’s locks tangle and twist uncontrollably. She could see Usopp now, his own hair dancing and twirling. Icy cold snow attacked them from all sides, and they both instinctively shielded their faces to keep it from pelting their eyes.

“Where are we?!” Usopp asked. He had to shout to be heard over the howling of the wind and the crackling of the snow as it smacked against them.

“I don’t know!” Nami shouted back. Her teeth chattered violently, and shivers racked her body. She hadn’t been dressed for the cold of the hotel’s hallway, she certainly wasn’t dressed for a blizzard. She longed for her winter clothing, stuffed deep in her trunk back on the Sunny.

“We have to get inside,” she said to Usopp.

He nodded. He didn’t look any warmer than she was. His hands moved rapidly up and down his arms, trying to use friction to heat his skin, but all he was accomplishing was to melt the snow and allow the merciless wind to freeze it once more against his body. Nami could see the deep aching red that was starting to form on his flesh as a result.

“Which way?” Usopp asked.

Nami turned in a complete circle. All around them, the world was white. She looked up into the blank canvas sky, spotted only with thick swirling snowflakes. She couldn’t get her bearings. There was no sign of life other than themselves; they were isolated in a snow bound world.

Nami turned again, her mind pleading for a solution. She could feel the swell of panic rising in her chest. They would die within the hour if she didn’t figure something out. Usopp was looking at her expectantly. He was counting on her to be able to navigate them out of there, but for once, she was lost.

She took a deep breath, ignoring the stinging cold and the howling wind, and she squinted her eyes into the whitewashed world. Nothing in front of her. She turned to her left, and again scanned as far out into the blank sheet of snow as she could.

She was starting to lose the feeling in her fingers. The surface of her skin became dull to any sensation. She was freezing, in the most literal sense of the word. She could hear Usopp blowing onto his own reddened hands. The tips of his fingers were turning a concerning shade of white.

She took another deep breath and turned left again. Everything around them was white, but Nami peered into it anyway, she wanted so desperately to see something, _anything_ beyond the snow.

And then she did.

It was faint, almost indiscernible from the rest of the blank white surroundings, but in the distance there seemed to be a mass of shadows. Just slightly darker than the snow, it was no wonder Nami hadn’t seen it before. She couldn’t make out the shape or structure of the shadows, it was just an off color blob in the distance, but it made hope soar in her chest and a hysterical laugh ripped from her throat.

“That way!” Nami said to Usopp, a beaming smile on her face.

It didn’t matter that she didn’t know what they were heading towards, at least she had some point of direction to head in. It was a start, and if they needed to continue from that point they would. She wasn’t lost anymore, and she would make sure that she and Usopp could get out of this.

Usopp and Nami trudged alongside each other. Nami needed it to be that way. If they were separated, it would be impossible to find each other again in this storm. They would be in serious danger. So they moved side by side, wading slowly through the knee-deep snow.

Nami couldn’t feel much of her feet either, only the stinging sensations of walking on spikes with every step she took, but even that sensation was fading. She didn’t want to look at them, fearing what she might see. The disturbing, sickly pale color of her fingers was bad enough.

“Nami, look!” Usopp called her attention away from her freezing extremities by pointing ahead of them.

Nami stared in the direction he pointed. The swirling snow was disorienting, and it took her eyes a moment to adjust. When they did, Nami was able to make out the shadow of a building rising out of the snow, a light glowing brightly in the front window despite the time of day. Nami looked closer and was able to make out the shape of several more buildings beyond that one, all of varying shapes and sizes. They’d reached a small village, and Nami would have cried with joy if she didn’t fear the tears freezing onto her face.

“Let’s go!” she said to Usopp.

The town was devoid of people, but given the snowstorm, that wasn’t too surprising. Nami scanned each building that they passed, searching for a suitable place to kill time until the storm died down.

“Hey, there’s an inn,” Usopp gestured to one of the buildings, taller than the others around it. Even through the snow, Nami could see smoke puffing from its chimney. Where there was smoke, there was fire, and where there was fire, there was warmth. Without saying another word, she and Usopp changed course and marched towards the inn.

A bell chimed above the door as they entered, and a kindly looking woman rushed to greet them.

“Oh my!” She cried. “Were you out in that weather dressed that way?!”

“We got lost,” Nami lied.

The woman clicked her tongue and gave them both a pitying look. “You’re half frozen!” she said. “Come in! Warm yourself by the fire.”

Nami accepted the offer gladly. Already she could feel some of the sensation returning to her skin, bringing with it a dull ache as it warmed up. She was concerned by the fact that she still couldn’t feel her fingers or toes, however, and she chanced a glance down at her feet. Pale, dead looking toes poked out of her sandals. She winced.

The woman pushed two cushioned armchairs by the fire and ushered Usopp and Nami into them, draping them with thick blankets and giving each of them towel for their hair. She offered them hot tea and soup, and insisted they take it even when Nami admitted they didn’t have the money to pay for them.

“What kind of monster would I be if I sent you back out into the storm like this?” the woman said. “Drink up, get warm.”

The woman caught Usopp’s hand in hers as he reached for the tea. She inspected his fingers and then turned and did the same to Nami. She clicked her tongue again when she released Nami’s hand. She finished handing them their tea.

“I’m going to call the doctor to see about your hands,” she said to them. “You’re probably fine but it wouldn’t hurt to have her look at them.”

“Will the doctor come out in this weather?” Nami asked with some surprise.

“Of course she will!” the innkeeper said. “Her transport it made for this type of weather. It might take her some time to get here, but if I send out a call, she will come.”

“Thank you,” Nami said sincerely.

“Of course.” The woman gave them both a warm smile and turned to go make her call to the doctor.

“I wish I could taste this soup,” Usopp sighed. “It smells delicious.”

“It might still be hot,” Nami said. “Which would make it worth eating anyway.”

“Yeah,” Usopp agreed, though he sounded reluctant about it. “But without any flavor it’s not as good.”

“Usopp, do you know where we are?” Nami asked him suddenly. Her eyes had settled on the window, where snowflakes battered against the glass in an attempt to permeate the building’s warmth.

Usopp paused mid sip. “Um? No? Do you?”

“I think so.” Nami nodded, turning her gaze back on him. She wore a proud smile, gloating a little about her cleverness.

“Where?” Usopp asked, setting his soup aside for the moment.

“Think about it!” Nami said. “A winter island and a female doctor? Sound familiar?”

His brow furrowed for a moment in confusion, and he gave her a frustrated look. Her clues were generic and vague and it took him a second to process what they might mean. When he figured it out though, his face relaxed into a broad smile.

“This is Drum Island! We’re in Chopper’s dream!”

“Bingo,” Nami said. “I assume the doctor the innkeeper was talking about is Doctor Kureha.”

Usopp winced. “Oh, I don’t know if I want to have another run in with her. She seemed kinda scary.”

“Nonsense.” Nami waved her hand dismissively. “She saved my life and she might be a little… eccentric, but she isn’t bad.”

“So where do you think Chopper is?” Usopp asked.

“Probably with the doctor,” Nami guessed. “The innkeeper said her transport was made for this weather, and Chopper has never had any problem in the snow.”

“So what’s the plan?”

Nami frowned. “When have we ever had a plan?”

“We’ve been trying,” Usopp said.

Nami sighed and looked down at her fingers. The color was coming back to them steadily. They were swollen and red, and there was a deep ache in her joints as they thawed. They would probably be okay, even if Dr. Kureha didn’t come to take care of them. Her toes on the other hand were another matter.

“I don’t know,” Nami said, looking back at Usopp. She tugged at the ends of her hair. It was damp from the snow that had tangled in it, and the wet locks were making her shoulders cold. She picked up the towel and rubbed at her hair.

“I don’t know,” she said again. “I won’t know how to go about waking him up until we get to talk to him.”

“I guess we’ll do what we always do, remind him where he belongs.” Usopp shrugged and took a sip of his flavorless tea.

“Yeah…” Nami wondered if that would work with Chopper. He was younger, less aware of the world compared to the rest of them. He was probably more susceptible to these kinds of illusions. But maybe Usopp was right. Chopper did love Luffy and the rest of their friends. Maybe that love would be enough to wake him up.

Nami and Usopp sat mostly in silence until a knock at the door stirred them from their respective thoughts. It was a polite rapping against the wood, but it was strange that anyone would knock on the main door of an inn. The innkeeper, a confused frown on her face, moved to open the door for whoever was knocking.

The man in the doorway looked… off. His hair was spiked into four neat tufts, a long top hat resting on the one in the middle of his head. He was unshaven, haggard looking, and wore clothes that were mismatched and patched. He looked like a homeless beggar, though that probably would have explained the knocking.

“Hiluluk!” the innkeeper cried. She looked shocked and little concerned by his presence. “What are you doing here?!”

“I heard you were in need of a doctor.” He beamed at her. “I came to offer my services.”

The woman sent a concerned glance in Nami and Usopp’s direction. “Well, that’s true… but I was really hoping Dr. Kureha would be the one to help.”

“Kureha is busy,” Hiluluk said. “It might be a while before she can make it. That’s why I thought it might be best if I come to assess the damage first.”

 The innkeeper looked flustered. “That’s kind of you but I actually called specifically for Dr. Kureha.”

Nami stared at the man that had just arrived. She felt like she knew him, though she hadn’t seen him the last time they’d visited Drum Island, and his face didn’t seem familiar to her. She watched his exchange with the innkeeper, who seemed more and more insistent on his leaving, and tried to remember what was so familiar about him.

It wasn’t his face, she realized, but his name that stood out in her memories. He was the man Kureha had told her about, the man connected with Chopper’s past. He was the man that had rescued Chopper and gave the little reindeer the first taste of joy in his young life. He didn’t look like much, and as Kureha had described, his reputation was poor, but Nami knew this man was, in his own way, a hero.

“Is Chopper with you?” she asked.

The argument between the innkeeper and the doctor fell silent.

“Chopper?” Dr. Hiluluk repeated. “You know Chopper?”

Another knock sounded against the inn’s door. It was actually less of a knock, and more of one loud bang before the door burst open. It bounced off the opposite wall and came to a stop midway. Snow blew in through the open door, melting the lush carpet of the inn’s floor. Nami could feel the cold seeping in, creeping into the room and making the fire waver and crackle.

Dr. Kureha stood in the doorway. Snow glittered in her long, grey hair, but she was just as underdressed for the weather as she had been the last time Nami had seen her. She wondered what the old woman’s secret to staying warm was, or if living on a winter island had just made her used to it.

“Dr. Kureha!” the innkeeper greeted her with no shortage of relief. She turned to Dr. Hiluluk with a sharp look. “The doctor is here now, I’ll have no need of your services,” she said. Her words were polite, but her tone was sharp, and the way she sniffed suggested she would be glad to see him gone.

“Doctor!” a small and familiar voice cried out, and before anyone could react a reindeer burst into the inn, bumping his head affectionately against Hiluluk’s chest, the way Chopper did when he was in his Walk Point.

“Chopper!” The old man laughed, hugging the reindeer and ruffling his fur.

The innkeeper gasped. “Dr. Kureha I’m afraid you can’t bring your reindeer into the—“

“What’s that?” Kureha pushed her glasses into her hair. “Were you going to ask me the secret of my youth?”

“No, I—“

“It wasn’t necessary for you to come all the way down from the mountain, Kureha. In fact, I’ve just been working on this new ointment that I—“

“Spare me,” Kureha said. “I don’t need quack medicine to help me on a case of frost bite. Come, Chopper, we have patients to tend to.”

Nami and Usopp watched the scene unfold with a mixture of shock and mrith. Kureha and Hiluluk were both filled with such energy, it was almost a little overwhelming to keep up with.

The innkeeper sighed in defeat and retreated, seeming to realize she had lost all control in this situation. Chopper gave Hiluluk one more affectionate bump before following Kureha as she approached Usopp and Nami.

“So you played outside and got frostbite, eh?” she asked, staring down at them with a look of judgment and superiority.

“Well we got lost and—“ Nami started to explain, but Kureha cut her off, snatching up Nami’s hand and splaying her fingers in the blink of an eye. She did the same to Usopp, and looked between their hands for a few moments.

“We can use my ointment!” Hiluluk interjected. “It will take the cold right out of their bones, I guarantee I perfected the formula this time!”

“They’re fine,” Kureha declared, releasing both Nami and Usopp’s hands. “A little nipped, you both need to stay out of the cold for a little while and warm up, but there won’t be any tissue damage.”

“Oh.” Hiluluk seemed to deflate with the news.

“Anything else you need while I’m here? Perhaps the secret to my youth?” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and posed with one hand on her hip.

“Well, actually,” Nami said, “I’m a little worried about my feet.”

She pulled the blankets away from her feet. They looked a little better than they had earlier, but not by much. They were worse off than her hands, that was for sure. She knew when they woke Chopper from this dream that anything that happened to her feet would disappear, but she didn’t know how long it would take to wake Chopper up, but that wouldn’t spare her any pain while they were in his dream. It could be a long, uncomfortable trip for her.

Dr. Kureha moved around the chair and bend closer to inspect Nami’s feet.

“Chopper!” she called.

Chopper moved forward, regarding Nami and Usopp with suspicious eyes, but when he looked at Nami’s feet, his demeanor changed. He wore the same expression he always did when he was tending their injuries after battle. It was a look so familiar, Nami couldn’t help but smile.

“They aren’t frost bitten,” Chopper said, “yet. But they’ll need to be soaked in hot water immediately.”

“Get this girl a pot of hot water!” Kureha said to the innkeeper. “Something she can soak her feet in.”

“Perhaps now would be a good time to try this,” Hiluluk said, pulling a tube of something green and rotten looking.

“Give me this,” Kureha snapped, snatching the tube from him. “What did you put in this?”

“Well there’s Liverwort and Ice Beetle dung, and snot from a sick Hiking Bear—hey!”

Kureha threw the tube into the fire. “I’m doing you a favor,” she said.

Nami watched the flames consume the concoction, flaring up a bright green as it burned. She grimaced, but was grateful the contents of that tube would never touch her skin. Chopper chuckled even as Hiluluk lamented the loss of his medicine, and Usopp shuddered in revulsion.

“Come, Chopper,” Kureha called again. “Our work here is done.”

With that said, she led the way out of the inn and back out into the storm. The inn’s door fell firmly into place behind her, sealing out the rush of wind and snow.

The innkeeper came with a pot of hot water for Nami and helped her ease her feet into it. Despite the episode that had just occurred between her and the two doctors, she remained cordial and kind to Nami and Usopp. When Nami’s feet were fully submerged (and screaming in stinging protest) the innkeeper retreated once again, and they were left alone.

“How do you know Chopper?”

Nami and Usopp both jumped. They had forgotten about Hiluluk’s presence. Nami had thought he’d left just after Kureha had, but he was still standing behind him, albeit out of the way.

The expression on his face was different. He was not the friendly quack doctor that had appeared before them originally. He looked suspicious, even angry. It was a stark contrast to the Hiluluk that Nami had heard Chopper tell stories about. He didn’t look like a kind, honest man in that moment, but Nami knew the reason why.

“We’re his friends,” she said.

The doctors expression seemed to darken even more.

“It’s true,” Usopp agreed. “I know it’s probably hard to understand, but Chopper is really important to us.”

The doctor scrutinized them both with a hard, suspicious glare. Nami was sure he was going to threaten them, maybe force them away to keep Chopper safe, but all at once the anger left his eyes, and he smiled.

“That’s wonderful!” he said, looking between them. He had tears in his eyes. “I had no idea Chopper had such close friends!”

Nami and Usopp exchanged a guilty look. While they really were Chopper’s friends, this Chopper wouldn’t remember that. It felt a little bit like they were lying to the doctor, even if their words were true.

“Tell me, are you staying here at the inn?” Hiluluk asked.

“Um, we actually don’t have any money,” Nami said. She looked at Usopp for support. “The innkeeper has helped us out so much already but…”

“Do you know of a place we can stay the night?” Usopp asked Hiluluk. “Maybe an abandoned building or something?”

“An abandoned building?” The doctor repeated, his eyebrows rising. Then all at once, he broke out in merry laughter. “Why, you should stay with me!”

“With you?” Usopp asked, frowning. “Is that really okay?”

“Of course it is!” the doctor said. “As soon as the young lady’s feet as warmed up will head that way!”

Nami and Usopp had no room for argument, especially since the alternative was a night out in the blizzard. Therefore, when Nami’s feet were back to a normal temperature and the ache in her fingers had vanished, Usopp and Nami found themselves getting ready to head back out into the winter storm, towards Dr. Hiluluk’s home.

The innkeeper gave them proper shoes, jackets, and gloves to wear out into the cold.

“Don’t worry about returning them,” she said to them. “These are just the strays people have left behind over the years. They aren’t much to look at, but they’ll keep you warm.”

Nami shrugged on an oversized tan jacket that must have belonged to a man and smelled like sweet pipe tobacco. Despite its size, it was warm, and Nami smiled gratefully.

“Thank you so much,” she said sincerely. Nami knew the price of everything, and knew that the innkeeper had been more than generous to them. “For everything.”

“Never you mind about that,” the woman said sternly, but the smile on her face was warm in spite of her tone. “You just take care of yourselves.” She cast a look Hiluluk’s way and then lowered her voice before speaking again. “Be careful, he’s a bit of a loon. Just don’t take any medicine he tries to give you. My neighbor’s little boy is still sprouting hair in odd places.”

Usopp and Nami exchanged another look. Usopp swallowed, his eyes darting nervously to the doctor, but Nami assured him with a smile. Hiluluk was a good man, she knew that much. He wouldn’t hurt them.

Properly dressed for the cold and warmed up from their last excursion, Usopp and Nami, together with Dr. Hiluluk, stepped back out into the cold.

* * *

“Home sweet home!” Hiluluk declared, stopping before a cliff face.

For a moment, Usopp and Nami looked around in confusion. Except for the wall of rock before them, there were only trees and snow. There was no home anywhere around, and Nami felt a slight roll of panic in her stomach, wondering if the doctor really was a little crazy.

They had walked quite a ways from town already, and since they’d left the inn and the main street, they’d only been walking through a seemingly endless forest. Nami had been a little worried right from that moment. Where did the doctor live if he didn’t live in town? But she decided that maybe he had a small home out in the privacy of the forest. Yet here they were, standing between a stretch of trees and a blank rock wall.

But Hiluluk didn’t seem confused as she strode forward towards the cliff face. Nami and Usopp looked on with trepidation as the man reached towards the stone wall and produced a rope seemingly out of thin air. The rope revealed itself to be ladder, and Hiluluk turned to them with a smile.

“I hope you don’t mind a little climbing,” he said.

Nami and Usopp traced the length of the rope ladder with their eyes, following it upwards until it seemed to disappear into the cliff face. No, not into the cliff face. Through the snow, Nami could make out a square of light, just barely visible through cracks in the stone. She could also see something drifting out from between the cracks. Steam, she realized, drifted out and disappeared almost immediately into the snowy air.

A home in the side of a cliff seemed a little strange, but Nami and Usopp didn’t argue. They climbed up the rope behind Dr. Hiluluk, who stopped only briefly to pry the crack in the stone open.

Light, heat, and the warm smell of stew greeted them even from the ladder. Usopp seemed to climb a little faster, and Nami followed suit, eager to be out of the cold. Even with her new winter clothing, the frosty wind was biting.

“I’m home, Chopper!” Hiluluk announced. His voice rang out through the opening of the cliff face and made Usopp and Nami freeze.

“And look who I brought with me!”

Usopp looked down between his arms at Nami, silently asking her what they were going to do. The moment Chopper saw them, their lie about knowing him would become apparent, and there was no doubt Hiluluk would kick them out when he realized it. Nami was considering climbing back down the rope and making a getaway before the doctor even realized they weren’t behind him, but just as she was considering it, the Hiluluk stuck his head back out of the hole.

“Well?” he said, “come on up!”

Usopp looked at Nami one more time, shrugged in defeat, and continued up the ladder. Nami sighed in defeat and followed after.

Nami hauled herself through the cave opening with a little help from Usopp, and sighed in relief as the warmth of a fire washed over her. The tan jacket that the innkeeper had given her was better than nothing, but it had quickly soaked with snow in their time outside, and she was shivering again.

The cave they had hauled themselves into was small, and most of the available space was filled with beakers, flasks, and tubes connecting them. Liquids of various colors bubbled over burners or sat stagnant and separating on the corners of the tables. The cave smelled of some kind of food, stew or soup maybe, but with an underlying odor of chemical and a sweet hint of something rotting. Nami tried to ignore the later scent.

“Chopper?” Hiluluk called out. “Why are you hiding over there? Come out and say hi to your friends!”

“Those aren’t my friends!” the little reindeer squeaked.

Nami could barely spot him. Though he was hiding the wrong way behind the post of a bed that stood in one corner, the shadows helped to hide him quite well.

“Chopper…” Usopp said. He wore a small frown on his face. Chopper and Usopp were particularly close, or so it had always seemed, and it must have been hard to see his friend revert back to the person who never trusted others.

Nami felt sad too. It had been a long time since their doctor had looked at her that way, and while she knew he didn’t know any better, the distrust stung a little. She had other worries to concern herself with though. A funny look had come over Hiluluk’s face, and Nami wondered if he was beginning to piece their lie together. Would he send them back out in the cold?

To her surprise, however, rather than turning that look on her or Usopp, the doctor sent it Chopper’s way.

“Chopper! That’s no way to talk to your guests!” he reprimanded.

Chopper didn’t move, though he did look a little guilty under Hiluluk’s disappointed stare.

“Don’t worry about him, he’s just shy,” Hiluluk said, turning back to Usopp and Nami. He didn’t question why Chopper didn’t seem to know his friends, and the smile he gave to them was genuine.

“Come in, make yourselves comfortable!” he said. “I know you just ate at the inn, but if you’d like to join us for dinner, please do!”

Nami and Usopp declined dinner. Their stomachs were empty and grumbled in frustration when Hiluluk served himself and Chopper, but it was a useless complaint. The food would have been flavorless and unfulfilling anyway. They declined under the pretense of still being full from earlier, but sat down at the small table with the doctor anyway.

It wasn’t until halfway through the meal that Chopper slinked out from behind the bedpost and joined them, though he made it a point to move his bowl as far away from Nami and Usopp as possible. He sat as close to Dr. Hiluluk as space would allow, and took to ducking his head behind the doctor when anyone even so much as looked his way.

“So, Chopper,” Nami addressed him, trying to keep her voice as gentle as possible. “You work with Dr. Kureha during the day?”

“Shut up! Hag!” Chopper spat.

Usopp had to hold Nami’s fists down beneath the table.

Hiluluk laughed. “He does, Dr. Kureha is a good doctor, and she gets more patients than I do,” he admitted. “She can teach Chopper more than I can, but I teach Chopper important stuff too! Right Chopper?

The little reindeer nodded. He shot furtive glances as Usopp and Nami, and even as he spoke, he looked conflicted about speaking out loud in front of them. “Doctorine teaches me a lot of medicine, but Doctor teaches me what it means to help people.” His voice was quite, and muffled at he turned his head away from them.

“See?” Dr. Hiluluk beamed like a proud parent.

“I bet you’re a great doctor yourself, Chopper,” Nami said.

Chopper glared at her, but then looked away, fixing his gaze on the floor instead. “I’m not that great.”

After the meal was over, Dr. Hiluluk cleared a space on the floor and laid out blankets for Nami and Usopp to sleep. The stone floor was not the most comfortable place Nami had ever slept, but it was warm, and it wasn’t long before her focused drifted off. It wasn’t like sleep, because she was still conscious and aware of her surroundings. She could feel Usopp shift a little on the blankets next to her, and she could hear the snuffing snores Chopper made as he slept. A couple of times Dr. Hiluluk spoke in his sleep, but for the most part it was quiet. In the silent Nami could let her mind wander, and before she knew it, the night passed by.


	8. Part 2

Nami’s attention drifted back into focus when Chopper had first gotten up in the morning, followed by Hiluluk a few minutes later, but she laid there and feigned sleep until the cave had fallen silent again. It was only when the cave was quiet and Usopp started to stir beside her that Nami sat up.

Hiluluk had left them a note on the table:

_Gone to see a patient, help yourself to anything you need._

“Hey,” Usopp greeted. He’d been investigating the vials and flasks around them. Of course he had, Usopp loved doing experiments so much Nami was surprised he hadn’t caved and looked through them all last night.

“He’s got enough volatile chemicals to send this place sky high,” Usopp said, pointing back at the flasks on one desk.

“That’s comforting,” Nami snorted.

Usopp chuckled and then sighed. “What do we do?” he asked after a pause.

“I don’t know.” Nami frowned. “I’d like to say we could just easily remind Chopper of who he really is but he’s kind of become everything he’s afraid of the way he is now.”

“Yeah.” Usopp sighed again, casting his eyes to the medical beakers again. “A real monster.”

“Plus, there’s no Dr. Hiluluk,” Nami said sadly.

“Yeah, what happened to him?” Usopp asked.

Nami frowned. She heard most of the story from Dr. Kureha, and she knew Hiluluk died. She knew it was something Chopper blamed himself for. Even Dr. Kureha had looked sad when she recounted the tale, and Nami had been left feeling hollow by the end of it. She would do anything to spare Chopper that pain again, and she hated that she would have to wake him up from the dream where he was surrounded by the first family he had ever known.

“He… died,” she said to Usopp.

“Oh.”

They sat in silence after that, the air seeming to bear down on them with a thick sadness. They had never known the real Hiluluk, but the man of Chopper’s memories had been so kind to them, it was hard to think such a person was no longer around.

“Let’s not sit here all day,” Nami said.

“Where do you want to go?” Usopp asked.

“I don’t know, into town? Maybe we can find Chopper, try to talk to him.” Nami shrugged. She was suddenly feeling restless and ill at ease sitting in this cave.

“Do you think that’s going to work?” Usopp looked at her skeptically.

“Probably not,” Nami said. “He’s as stubborn as he is shy, but we have to try something, right?”

“Right,” Usopp agreed. “Let’s go.”

* * *

The storm from the night before had blown over, leaving the island covered in a fresh, thick layer of snow. People in town emerged from their homes and set about cleaning up the streets and the paths that would lead to their shops and houses. None of them looked particularly put out by the task; this was just another day on the winter island.

A commotion up the street called Usopp and Nami’s attention, and they trudged through the snow to see what all the fuss was about.

“It’s just a rash!” a man cried. He was backed against a building, surrounded by on lookers and one unaffected looking Dr. Kureha.

“A rash or not, if it’s bothering you, it’s best to see a doctor about it,” she said. Her arms were folded over her chest and there was a sly smile on her face.

“It’s not bothering me!” the man protested desperately. He’s eyes pleaded with the people surrounding him, begging for help, but no one moved to aid him.

Nami and Usopp pushed through the crowd for a better look. The man’s jacket sleeve was missing, torn at the shoulder. The sleeve itself dangled from Chopper’s teeth as the reindeer glared at the man from under the brim of his old pink hat. He looked almost feral and wild, and the townspeople gave him a wide berth.

The man’s arm was splashed with red, angry looking welts that puckered and shined in the faint sunlight. The rash looked painful and irritated, but the man looked more afraid of the doctor in front of him than he did of the ugly rash on his arm.

“What do you think?” Dr. Kureha asked. To the bystanders around them, she looked as if she was talking to herself, but Nami knew better. She was consulting with the little doctor-in-training.

“Oh, you think so?” the doctor said, again seemingly to herself.

Nami had an idea, though she wasn’t sure if it would work. She nudged Usopp with her elbow, indicating that he should follow along, and then pushed through the crowd of people until she reached Dr. Kureha.

“You should let Chopper treat him,” she said. She spoke quietly, striving to keep the conversation as private as she could.

“What’s that?” Dr. Kureha asked, turning her sharp eyes on Nami.

Nami wouldn’t back down. “He’s capable, he’s a good doctor, and you should let him do this one on his own.”

Kureha gave Nami one long considering look, and then turned to Chopper. “You heard the girl, this one’s yours.”

If anyone thought it was strange that Dr. Kureha passed off her patient to her pet reindeer, nobody said anything. Some of the townspeople’s eyes fell expectantly on the reindeer instead.

Chopper seemed to buckle under the pressure. His legs shook and he met all the expectant looked with sheer terror. He backed up a couple of quaking steps, ready to bolt from the scene. Kureha didn’t say anything. She watched him with a hardened expression.

“Chopper!” she said, her voice sharp as the crack of a whip. “I know that quack hasn’t taught you to run away from a patient.”

The mention of Hiluluk seemed to harden some of Choppers resolve. Though his legs still shook, he stepped closer. He reached his head over his shoulder and pulled a length of bandaged and a bottle of some kind of ointment from the medical back on his shoulder. Using his teeth and hooves (he refused to change points in front of a crowd, it seemed) he smeared the ointment on to the bandage. Then in one quick move he picked the bandage up in his teeth and swung it around the man’s rash-covered arm. He pulled it around once, twice, and then finally tucked the end of it into the man’s elbow and steppes back, hiding himself behind Kureha’s legs.

The man gripped at his arm with the fingers of his opposite hand and let out one long, pained moan. His moan died off into a whine, and then a pant, and then finally he sighed. The tension seemed to ease from his body, and he visibly sagged.

“It’s… better,” he said with surprise.

Curious, Kureha picked up the discarded bottle of ointment that Chopper had used.

“Hmm,” she hummed. “Not a bad choice.” She tossed the rest of the bottle to the man who just barely managed to catch it with his good hand. “Keep that on for three days, but change the bandages daily,” she said to the man. “Come on, Chopper, let’s go.” With that, she and Chopper headed off down the street, where a sled was waiting for them.

“Wait!” Nami called, rushing to catch up with them.

Kureha stopped and turned. The look on her face was dangerous. “I don’t appreciate people interfering with my medicine,” she said.

“I was right, wasn’t I?” Nami asked, challenge evident in her voice.

Kureha scoffed and folded her arm over her chest again. “What do you want anyway?”

“We want to talk to Chopper,” Nami said. “Alone, just for a little while.”

Kureha smirked. “If you think you can get the little guy to go with you, be my guest.”

Nami frowned. That _would_ be easier said than done. She was just about to ask Kureha to help convince him, when a small voice interrupted them.

“I’ll talk with them,” Chopper said from behind Kureha.

Dr. Kureha looked from Chopper to Nami and Usopp and sighed, shrugging before letting her arms fall back to her sides. “Fine, but don’t take too long, we have other patients to see.”

She walked away, heading back towards her sleigh, leaving Chopper, Nami, and Usopp on their own. They watched her retreating figure for a moment, Chopper looked back at them, suspicion and impatience leveled in his glare.

“Hi, Chopper,” Nami greeted, smiling as she did so. A lame start, but she wanted this to go well.

“What do you want?” Chopper snapped.

The smile fell away from Nami’s face immediately. Chopper was usually so polite and reserved; it was hard to remember a time when his first instincts around people were fight or flight. He was snappy and rude, but he was talking to them, and that was a start. That should have been enough for Nami to turn a blind eye to his slight, but she couldn’t let it go that easily.

“Listen here you little—“

Her raised fist was caught immediately by Usopp.

“What she means is, you’re probably wondering how we know you and why we’re hanging around,” Usopp said. He shoved Nami’s fist down to her side and gave her a look.

She turned her glare on him, instead, but managed to add, “yeah, that’s what I meant,” through only slightly gritted teeth.

“I don’t know you,” Chopper said his suspicious eyes never wavering.

“Of course you don’t,” Nami continued. She managed to fix her face back into something neutral, and kept her voice calm. “I know this is going to be hard to believe, Chopper, but I’m just going to explain it to you like it is. You’re in a dream right now.”

Surprise and curiosity seemed to override Chopper’s caution. He looked between Nami and Usopp, waiting for more of an explanation.

“That’s right, Chopper,” Usopp said. “I know it’s kinda hard to believe, since all of this feels so real, but this is just a world you’ve made up in your mind. The real you is sleeping in the bed of a grungy old hotel right now.”

“Why am I sleeping in a grungy hotel?” Chopper asked, his nose wrinkling with disgust at the idea.

“Well we, I mean our crew, was kinda tricked. We didn’t know it was a grungy hotel until it got us.”

“Crew?” There was a light in Chopper’s eyes that Nami hadn’t seen in the time they’d been there. It was the same sparkle he got whenever Usopp told a particularly ridiculous story or when Luffy declared some grand ambition. It was a spark of the Chopper they knew, locked inside the Chopper that was uncertain and insecure.

“Yeah.” Nami nodded, smiling. “We’re pirates.”

“Pirates?!” Chopper said, his voice full of joy and wonder.

“That’s right,” Nami said. “You’re one too. You’re our doctor.”

“I am?” Chopper asked.

“Yep! And you’re the best doctor around. Seriously you can cure almost anything. Your dream is to be able to cure anything, right? I’d say you’re almost there. You’ve never failed to save our hides.”

Chopper seemed to glow, and he ducked his head in embarrassment, muttering to himself.

“You’re a great doctor, Chopper.”

His smile seemed to fade a little, into something wistful and uncertain.

“I’m not that great,” he said. “I can’t cure very much, Doctorine still yells at me a lot.” He shook his head, as if shaking away unwanted thoughts. “Sorry, I don’t think I’m the same person you’re thinking of though.”

“Are there a lot of other talking reindeers with blue noses?” Usopp asked.

Chopper’s sad look deepened. “No, because they’d be freakish monsters, just like me.”

“You are a monster, Chopper,” Nami agreed. “You said so yourself. But you’re a great monster, and you’re our friend.”

Chopper shook his head, hard enough that his little ears flapped against the brim of his hat. “No, I don’t think so. Sorry.”

And with that he turned, heading back to Dr. Kureha and leaving Nami and Usopp behind in the snow.

* * *

“Well, that didn’t work,” Nami sighed, half-collapsing onto the bedding.

“No kidding,” Usopp snorted. “I didn’t even so much as feel the ground tremble. I don’t think he believed us at all.”

“Who knew Chopper would be so hard to wake up?” Nami said.

Usopp laughed. “Well he has always been a little bit stubborn. Once he gets his mind set on something; forget it.”

Nami sat up again to stare at him. “So he’s just determined to be a doctor in training forever?” she asked. The bitter tone to her voice couldn’t be missed.

Usopp put his hands up defensively. “I don’t know, Nami. Maybe he’s just happy here.”

Nami collapsed back onto the blankets on the floor and rolled herself into them, wrapping herself up tight. She was vexed about how to help Chopper. He seemed so determined not to be helped, and to stay this way forever, but she wouldn’t let that happen. The happiness he found here was false. None of this was real. Chopper didn’t even have a choice between this dream and his actual life. This happiness was forced on him, it wasn’t genuine, and Nami wouldn’t allow it.

“You look like a worm,” Usopp commented, looking down at her.

Nami glared up at him, and unrolled from the blankets again. She sat up once more, turning her glare from Usopp to the rest of the room. She wouldn’t allow Chopper to stay like this without a choice. Now wasn’t the time for her to be moping over her failure. She was smarter than this; she just needed to put that intelligence to work.

Her eyes scanned the cave room again, looking for a sign or a hint of something that might help her. They settled on the bookshelf, the mismatched and disorderly array of titles catching her attention. A sudden idea sparked in her mind like a tiny bolt of lightning and she smiled. When in doubt, books will always hold the answer. Robin would be proud.

“Usopp, go to the bookshelf and grab me any book that looks like it might have to do with plants,” she ordered.

“Why do I—you know what, never mind.”

With a huff he dragged himself towards the shelf. After scanning over the spines of books, he selected one and tossed it Nami’s way. It landed with a dull _thwack_ against the blanketed stone, and she snapped a glare up at him.

“I said _hand_ them to me,” she said.

“Whatever,” Usopp replied, rolling his eyes and continuing to scan over the books.

Nami scoffed at him and picked up the book he had tossed her. _Ways to Use Medicinal Herbs_. It didn’t look like what she needed, but she flipped through the pages anyway. Nothing seemed to fit what she was looking for though, and she set it aside.

Usopp joined her, a small stack of books in his hand.

“That’s everything they have about plants,” he said.

“Good, thank you,” Nami said, taking the pile from him. There were quite a few books, but not so many that Nami couldn’t take a moment to glance through them all.

By the third book, Usopp interrupted her.

“What are you looking for?” he asked.

“A type of mushroom,” Nami replied, not bothering to look up from the pages she was scanning over.

“Mushroom, ew,” Usopp shuddered. “What kind?”

“I don’t know,” Nami said. “And don’t make that face, it’s not for you anyway.”

After another book, Usopp spoke up again. “Did you need help?”

“Sure,” she said, handing him one of the books. “The field guide I’m looking for will have the mushroom marked with a skull and crossbones.”

“Why a skull and crossbones?” Usopp asked.

“Because it’s poisonous, obviously.”

Usopp froze, his wide eyes locked to the page, but the contents of it eluded him.

“Who is the mushroom for?” he finally asked.

“Hm?” Nami looked up from the page she was looking over. She was surprised by the look he gave her. It was a dark, almost violent look, one that she had only really seen him wear one other time. A memory she really didn’t like to dwell too often, because it was a time their crew almost fell apart at the seams.

“What are you giving me that look for?” She asked. She forced a laugh, hoping to make the situation lighter and to take the look off his face.

“Who’s the mushroom for?” He asked again. His voice was low and quiet, but it held a kind of rage she was afraid to release.

“Usopp, you haven’t even listened to my idea yet,” she said, making a placating motion with her hands as she tried to reason with him.

“Are you planning on poisoning our friend?” he asked.

“No!” Nami cried. “I would never!”

“Who then?”

Nami bit her lip. It wasn’t like he was going to like the answer she gave any better than he liked the idea he’d gotten on his own. This was their only chance, though, and she was sure it would work if he would only give it a chance. At the end of it all, he was her partner, the only one she could rely on in this situation, and she needed him on her side.

“Just… hear me out, okay?”

He blinked, and a little of the darkness seemed to lift from his eyes. Not all of it, but he definitely looked a little more level headed.

“Okay,” he said, “explain.”

Nami took a deep breath, a final chance to collect her thoughts, and then launched into her explanation.

“So you remember how the injuries I got in Zoro’s dream didn’t stay with me when I woke up? And I said it was because the damage you took in a dream wasn’t really damage to your body, it was just a trick on your mind? Well I was thinking if _I_ ate the mushroom, it might force Chopper to take a step forward. I mean, it’s a mushroom that caused him a lot of grief in the past, and it’s going to cause a lot of grief again if he doesn’t help me. And he’s really the only one that can. He’s a great doctor, he needs to see that in order to wake up.”

Usopp frowned. “Yeah, but Nami, you also said that if we died in these dreams we would _actually die._ Meaning if you’re plan doesn’t work, this mushroom might _actually kill you._ ”

Nami waved her hand dismissively, feigning a confidence she didn’t quite feel. There was some truth to his words, and while the idea frightened her, she knew she had to go through with it for Chopper’s sake.

Besides, she believed in her friend.

“It won’t happen,” she said. “Chopper will save me.”

Usopp caught her hand with his and squeezed with just enough pressure to make her wince.

“Are you really willing to bet your life on this?” he asked her. His face was serious.

She curled her fingers, squeezing his hand back. “Yeah,” she said, “I am.”

He released her hand and sighed. “Fine. But I don’t like this.”

“Don’t worry, Usopp.” She gave him a reassuring smile “Chopper won’t let me die. We just have to believe in him.”

Usopp didn’t look like he believed her at all, but he didn’t voice it out loud. “I hope you’re right,” was the only thing he had to say.

* * *

It was surprisingly easy to find the poisonous mushroom in question in the books. There was only one book that marked poisonous plants with a skull and crossbones, only two mushrooms marked that way in said book, and only one of those mushrooms grew on winter islands. Nami cheered when they found the right one; the Amiudake mushroom. Usopp only grew paler.

As easy as the mushroom might have been to find in a book, however, it was not as easy to find the mushroom in question in the wild. The storm the day before had buried everything under thick snow, and Nami and Usopp had to spend the rest of their afternoon and the early parts of the evening digging through the snow to find what they were after. Even when the sun set, they kept at it by the light of a borrowed lantern.

Usopp tried to talk Nami out of the plan several times. He tried to offer alternatives, different ways they could try to wake Chopper up, but none of them were foolproof and even Usopp seemed to realize they would be poor attempts at best. As the day wore on, he grew quieter and quieter. He worked alongside Nami, digging through the snow, and he wore an expression of discontent on his face, but he didn’t say anything more.

“I’ve got it!” Nami finally declared. It was already late into the evening, and her fingers were frozen numb through her gloves, but she just managed to hold on to the red and white spotted mushroom.

Usopp stared at their find as if it would reach out and bite him. “Nami, are you sure about this?” he asked again. It was probably the millionth time he’d asked her that already.

“Usopp, I’m the one that’s going to eat it, not you,” she said.

“That’s the point,” Usopp grumbled.

She sighed and carefully slipped the important little mushroom into her pocket. She pulled off one of her gloves, exposing her fingers to the brisk winter air, and put it on Usopp’s shoulder. She squeezed firmly, and looked him straight in the eye.

“Usopp, for this to work, you have to believe in Chopper,” she said. “And me too, for that matter. Believe that I know what I’m doing, and believe that Chopper will save me.”

Usopp frowned. “I do believe in you, and Chopper. You know that.”

“Then show me that,” she said, squeezing his shoulder again. “Stick with me on this one, alright?”

“Yeah…” Usopp frowned. “Nami, you can’t blame me for being worried, you could _die_.”

“I’m not going to die,” she said. She released him and slipped her glove back on. She flipped her hair over one shoulder and smiled. “Just trust me. Now come on, let’s get back to Chopper.”

* * *

Chopper was the only one home when Nami and Usopp got back to the cave.

“Hey, Chopper,” Nami greeted, “where’s Dr. Hiluluk?”

Chopper stared at her for a long moment. He looked like he had something he wanted to tell her, like something had been bothering him and he wanted to address it. But instead he looked back down to the food he was frying.

“He went out because he heard there might be a patient he could treat in the town across the island. He’ll be back late.”

“Oh,” Nami said. She didn’t sit down or make herself comfortable. Instead, she exchanged looks with Usopp. It was the best time for her to enact her plan. It was just them and Chopper, just the set up they needed.

Usopp gave her one last discouraging look, and then sighed and nodded. He agreed.

“Hey, Chopper, have you ever seen one of these?” Nami asked, procuring the mushroom from her pocket.

Chopper stared at the Amiudake mushroom. His nose wrinkled like he smelled something bad, and there was something akin to familiarity in his eyes. Then he blinked and it was gone, replaced by confusion.

“No?” he frowned. “Are you going to eat it? You should be careful with wild mushrooms, they can be poisonous.”

“Oh, I know it’s poisonous,” Nami said, a wicked smile on her face. She smiled the way she did when there was money on the line. This time, however the stakes this time were significantly higher. “It’s the most poisonous mushroom on Drum Island. It can kill the average human in an hour.”

Usopp frowned at her, but she ignored it.

Chopper looked between them, his eyes wide with horror. “W-what are you going to do with it?” he asked. He looked afraid; genuinely afraid _of them._

“Does it look familiar to you?” Nami asked, ignoring his question.

“N-no?” Chopper looked down at his food, like he was expecting to see pieces of red mushroom stirred in with the rest of it.

Nami frowned. “Well, it doesn’t matter,” she said dismissively. “Here’s what I’m going to do with it.” She split the top of it in half, breaking it down the middle into two smaller pieces. “I’m going to eat it.”

“What?!” Chopper looked up at her in shock.

“Yep,” Nami said, the smile back on her face. “And when I do, you’re going to have an hour to save me, Chopper.” She popped a piece of the mushroom in her mouth, chewed it up, and swallowed it. The taste was horrible, like burning smoke and something rotting.

“I’m counting on you, Chopper.” She smiled, and tossed the second half to him. He’d need something to analyze if he was going to cure her. Besides, a half of the mushroom would be more than enough for her.

Chopper fumbled with the mushroom slice; it bounced off his small hooves twice before he managed to catch it. When he did, he held it away from himself, as if it were something disgusting and covered in slime.

“What did you just do?!” he demanded, panic lighting his eyes.

“I told you,” Nami said. “You have one hour to save me.”

Chopper stared at her, wide-eyed, and then suddenly, he laughed.

“Oh, I get it,” he said through his chuckles. “It’s not really poisonous. You’re just playing a joke, right?” He picked up the slice of mushroom Nami had tossed him. “I bet this is safe to eat too.”

He brought the mushroom to his mouth.

“Chopper! Don’t!” Usopp shouted. He managed to slide his hand between the mushroom and Chopper’s mouth just in time. Chopper looked at him, surprised by his quick save.

“It really will kill you,” Usopp confirmed. “Nami is really dying,” he said, his mouth set in a grim line.

Chopper’s eyes started to water, he looked back at Nami.

“Why?!” he shouted. He looked so angry and hurt, it broke her heart a little.

“Because I believe in you, Chopper,” she said. “You’re the only one who can do this.”

She could feel the mushroom kicking in already. Her stomach twisted and turned, revolting against the poison the Amiduke released into her system. She wrapped her arms around her middle and sank to the floor, hoping to alleviate some of the pain.

“Nami!” Usopp said her name like he was scolding her. He was still mad, she guessed, and probably would be until this whole ordeal was over with.

“Hey Usopp, how’s it going?” she said, chuckling at her own nonchalance.

His jaw tightened, and he didn’t laugh. “Does it hurt?” he asked.

“About as much as I would expect.” She gave a half shrug, but her muscles protested even that simple movement. She was starting to ache all over.

Chopper looked between them like he was truly meeting two insane people for the first time.

“You really think I can do this?” he asked. His voice was so small.

“Of course you can, Chopper,” Usopp said, surprising both Nami and Chopper. He sounded impatient, but the sincerity in his words was real. “You wouldn’t let one of your friends die.”

It was another moment of staring at them like they were insane, and then Chopper dove into action. He grabbed up the half of the mushroom that Nami had tossed his way and scrambled for the desk, knocking over a pile of books and sending papers scattering through the air. Chopper’s little hooves worked quickly, but were steady; as a doctor’s hands always should be. He grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen and quickly set to work analyzing the mushroom.

“See,” Nami said, a weak smile on her face, “I’m gonna be fine.”

“You should lie down,” Usopp said, ignoring her. “Don’t move around too much.”

“Yeah.” Nami winced. Her stomach was really throwing a fit, and didn’t show any signs of letting up. “I think that’s a good idea.”

Usopp made the blankets up to be as comfortable as possible, and covered Nami in them when she laid down. She could see he was trying to hide his worry as much as possible, but he was failing miserably. Despite his reputation for lying, he was actually pretty terrible at it.

“Man,” Usopp groaned, sitting down next to Nami after making sure she was all tucked in and comfortable. “I hate mushrooms. Nothing good ever came from having a mushroom around. I’m telling Sanji to never even buy mushrooms again after this.”

“He’s not going to listen to you.” Nami laughed, but laughing hurt. She was starting to sweat, despite the uncomfortable chill that was settling over her body. “I know you hate them, that’s why I wasn’t going to make you eat it.”

“Trust me, if you make it through this, you won’t like them anymore either,” he replied, and then seemed to realize what he had said and paled considerably. “No. I mean—“

“It’s okay,” Nami assured him. “Chopper’s going to get me fixed up in no time, right Chopper?”

Chopper stood at the desk, muttering to himself and writing up notes. He was lost in his own world, the way Chopper always was when there was a challenging case presented to him. He was Chopper, just the same as they had always known him. He just didn’t remember that. Nami hoped that before he figured out an antidote, he would.

* * *

Nami’s awareness faded in an out in a haze of pain. It might have been hours or just minutes later when Dr. Hiluluk returned home. He was humming merrily when he pulled himself through the opening of the cave, but the moment he took in the situation inside, he stopped.

Chopper was still working away at the desk. He’d mixed up a few concoctions already, but each one had been discarded. Not good enough yet. Nami was lying down still, and she had looked better. She was pale, and had spent the last hour sweating. Her hair stuck to her skin wherever it touched. She looked better than she felt though. The pain from her stomach seemed to have spread to every part of her body. Her strength was sapped, so much that she couldn’t even sit up to sip at water without Usopp’s help. It was getting harder for her to breathe too, so her breaths were shallow and uneven. Usopp sat by her side, shooting worried glances her way.

“What’s going on here?” Hiluluk asked, frowning.

At the sound of his voice, Chopper seemed to snap out of his doctor-mode.

“Doctor!” he cried, sounding relieved. “Nami ate a poisonous mushroom! She says I have to cure her soon or… or she won’t make it through the night! She’s going to die! But I can’t figure it out! I don’t know how to make an antidote for this! I don’t think I can cure her by myself, I need your help!”

Chopper stared up at Dr. Hiluluk with big, watery eyes, pleading for help from the confused doctor. Hiluluk himself stared in confusion from Chopper to Nami and Usopp. He walked over to the desk and picked up a part of the mushroom half that Nami had given to Chopper. He inspected it carefully, drawing in air through his teeth.

“This is a bad one,” he said, frowning down at the mushroom bit.

“Chopper can save me,” Nami insisted. Her voice came out weaker and more breathless than she wanted it to, but it sounded as adamant and stubborn as ever. She meant what she was saying.

Hiluluk looked at her, really looked at her. He studied her closely. There was something he was working out in his mind, some kind of puzzle he was piecing together. Then he winked.

He set the piece of mushroom down on the desk again. “I think you can do it, Chopper,” he said. He was cheerful and boisterous and didn’t seem the least bit concerned that there was a dying girl laying on his floor.

“But Doctor!” Chopper cried. “I don’t know what I’m doing! She might die! I need help!”

Dr. Hiluluk looked down again at his little friend. He placed a gentle hand on Chopper’s head. “If you want to protect your patient, Chopper, you’ll figure it out. You can do this. You’ve become so great since we met. I don’t think this little mushroom could take that from you.”

Tears matted Choppers fur, but he rubbed them away and nodded, returning to the desk, entering doctor mode again, and falling silent once more except for the occasional muttered instruction.

Nami and Usopp exchanged a look. They had both seen it. The way Dr. Hiluluk had winked, it was almost like he knew what their plan was. That idea didn’t make any sense, though. If Hiluluk really knew what was going on, it meant he knew this wasn’t reality, and that was such a strange idea, Nami couldn’t get her head wrapped around it.

Not only that, but when Hiluluk refused to help, she thought she felt something. It might have been her own imagination, she had been fighting off chills for a little while so maybe it was just that. It might have just been a hopeful wish, but she could have sworn she felt the ground tremble, just slightly.

“If you’d like, we can move her on to the bed,” Hiluluk said to Usopp. “And then I’ll help you try to get her fever down.”

“Yes, thank you,” Usopp agreed.

Nami had little say in it as together Usopp and Hiluluk lifted her onto the bed. The sheets smelled the way her sheets sometimes smelled after Chopper had a nightmare and asked to sleep with her and Robin. When was the last time that had happened? It had been a long time, it seemed like. She’d kind of missed the smell.

Dr. Hiluluk and Usopp began to hold a conversation about her, but her focus was waning. She drifted off, her pain eased just slightly as she was comforted by the familiar smell of the sheets, and the sound of Chopper grinding something with his mortar and pestle.

* * *

Nami came to because a bit of dust from the cave ceiling sprinkled onto her face. She came to in a world of pain. It was like every muscle in her body was cramping and spasming. Who knew dying would hurt this much? It was no easier to breathe now than it had been before. In fact, every breath she took whistled through her constricted airways.

She could ignore the pain for the moment though, because there was something much more distracting going on at the moment. Usopp and Hiluluk we’re still by her bed side, but they weren’t looking at her. Neither of them had even noticed she’d woken up. She couldn’t blame them. All around them, the cave trembled and shook. The sound of rocks scraping against one another and glass bottles clinking together filled the air.

A large crack had formed in the ceiling above them, and another shower of dust and bits of stone rained down on them again. Usopp and Hiluluk weren’t paying attention to that either, however. Something else, more distracting than the collapsing ceiling held their attention.

Both of them had their eyes fixed firmly on Chopper.

“What did you say?” Usopp asked.

Chopper held up a vial filled with fluorescent red liquid. “I said, ‘I did it’. I think so, anyway.”

“Well bring it over here boy!” Hiluluk said. There was a wide smile on his face, and his eyes were watery, though when he blinked they were clear again.

Chopper rushed over to the bed, bringing the vial with him.

“Nami! You’re awake!” he exclaimed with surprise.

“I was just waiting on you,” she wheezed out. She forced a smile. “Is that for me?”

“Yes.” Chopper shook the vial a little. “Take all of it, and it should fix you right up. Can you take it yourself?”

“I might need some help,” Nami admitted. Her body wasn’t obeying her commands to move very well. When she tried to reach for the vial, her fingers twitched and then fell still.

Usopp helped her sit up, and she leaned against him while Chopper tipped the contents of the vial into her mouth.

She swallowed and winced. “The taste could use some improvement.”

“It’s not supposed to taste good,” Chopper said, serious as ever. “How do you feel?”

Nami considered that for a moment. She twitched her fingers again, and curled her hand into a fist. Weak, but responsive, and her breathing became easier almost immediately.

“Much better,” she said, and her voice sounded stronger than it had in a while.

Usopp’s hands tightened around her arm, and she looked up at him. He wasn’t looking her way though, he was beaming at Chopper.

“Thanks, Chopper,” he said. “I knew you could do it.”

Chopper fidgeted bashfully.

“That’s Chopper for you!” Hiluluk laughed. “He’s become a fine young doctor!”

“Don’t compliment me, you bastard!” Chopper shouted, though the smile on his face betrayed his true feelings.

But then the smile faded.

“I guess… that means it’s time to go,” he said, quiet and sad.

“That it is,” Hiluluk said. His voice matched Chopper’s somber tone, but there was a smile on his face.

The trembling grew more violent. The door to the little cave room flew open, allowing snow to poor in, blasting them all with cold air. The crack on the ceiling began to expand, fanning out into branches and raining chunks of stone onto them. Usopp instinctively pulled Nami closer as a particularly large piece of rock crashed down to their left.

“I’m proud of what you’ve become, Chopper,” Hiluluk said. “But you have a long way to go still, don’t you?”

Chopper didn’t answer. He sniffled, and wiped at the tears that were falling faster than he could keep up with.

“Do I have to go?” Chopper asked. “I miss you.”

Hiluluk laughed. “Miss me?! Chopper! I’m right here!” He put his hand onto Chopper’s head again. “I’ve always been just a memory, but that didn’t make me less alive, did it? As long as you remember me, I’ll always live on inside of you!”

Chopper threw his arms around Hiluluk’s legs. The sound of his sobs were drowned out under the grinding of the collapsing rock. Several glass containers rattled their way off the desk, crashing one after another. Shards of glass mixed with stone and snow as another large chunk of ceiling fell.

“Here we go,” Usopp muttered.

Nami looked up as well, just in time to watch the ceiling crumble in on them.


	9. Chapter 9

Usopp and Nami sat up quietly in the hazy darkness of the decrepit hotel room. The curtains had fallen shut over the room’s only window, letting only a sliver of the grey, cloud-covered light shine in. The lingering chill of the cold that had frozen this part of the hotel made Nami shiver, and she curled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them to keep them warm. Usopp slid a little closer to her, trying to leach off her body heat despite the warmth radiating off his skin.

It wasn’t as cold as it had been though. It was as if the arctic winds of Drum Island had blown out from Chopper’s dream and into the reality beyond. Now that the dream was over, the cold started to fade away as well.

Usopp and Nami sat together in silence like that. Nami knew they needed to get a move on, to find the rest of their nakama, but the small, hiccupping sobs coming from the bed across the room from them prevented her from moving just yet. Chopper had done so well in his dream, he deserved a minute.

It seemed like forever before the sobs quieted down, and it was another few minutes after that before a small figure sat up on the bed.

“Usopp?” Chopper’s little voice wavered through the darkness.

“Yeah, Chopper,” Usopp responded. He stood up, and gave Nami a hand as she followed suit.

“Nami?” Chopper asked.

“Hey, Chopper.” She sent him a weak smile, one that was probably lost in the darkness anyway.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

Nami couldn’t help but laugh, just a little through her nose. It was so like Chopper to need to check on his patients, even when he was the one that needed attention the most.

“I’m fine,” she said. “One hundred percent better.”

“Really?” She could hear the sound of bed sheets shifting, and saw a small dark shadow slide off the bed and onto the floor.

“Really,” she said. “I promise. How are you feeling, Chopper?”

The little shape that had been moving towards her froze, and then seemed to slump a little.

“I’m okay,” he said, though his voice came out thick and shaky.

Nami took a careful step towards him. Sometimes Chopper preferred to brush off his sadness and tried to act tough. If this were one of those times, her comfort would offend him more than help him.

Another sob escaped him and she decided it was okay to move. She took another step forward and he launched himself forward, meeting her half way and latching onto her legs. He buried his face into her knees and she could feel hot tears rolling down her to her ankles. She patted Chopper’s head, her fingers stroking gently through his thick fur.

She heard Usopp move behind them, but she focused her attention Chopper. She didn’t know what she could say to comfort him. She knew promises of happier times would sound hollow under the weight of all he’d just lost again. He was probably homesick, and missed the love ones he’d lost and left behind. She said nothing at all and instead held him close and stroked his fur and tried to convey her sympathy and love with her presence alone.

There was a rustling sound and then the room brightened. Nami squinted as her eyes tried to adjust to the new light and find its source.

Usopp stood at the window, dragging the heavy curtains back and securing them open. The world outside was still grey and stormy, but the light seemed so much brighter after so long in the dark.

“Sorry,” Usopp said sheepishly, turning around. He looked embarrassed at having caught Chopper and Nami in the moment. “I just thought we could use some light.”

Chopper sniffed loudly and released Nami, taking a step back.

“Good idea,” he said. “I need to look Nami over and make sure she doesn’t have any lingering effects from the mushroom.”

His eyes were still watery, and he didn’t look directly at either Nami or Usopp, but it seemed like he’d be okay.

“Chopper, I’m fine, really. Usopp and I tested it before. When you wake up from a dream, the physical effects of that dream are erased.” She took another step away from him and held her arms out from her sides. “See? Don’t I look better than I did?”

But Chopper wouldn’t hear any of it, and Nami found herself having to undergo a brief but thorough medical examination. He spent at least twenty minutes checking her over as best he could without and medical equipment (which apparently he could do very well), only to deem her to be of perfect health.

“I told you,” she said.

“That’s so strange,” Chopper said. “I thought there would have been some kind of lingering effect, at least for a while.”

“Nami’s right. When you wake up, the damage you took in the dream vanishes. Not that she should have taken the risk anyway.” Usopp sent a very pointed look her way. “You should have seen her in Zoro’s dream! He cut her in the stomach and I thought all her guts would spill out! I had to help her hold them in and then when the ceiling collapsed she lost her arm and—“

Nami put an end to the rest of his story with a smack to the head.

“It wasn’t that bad,” she assured Chopper while Usopp whimpered with pain. “I was hurt, but nothing severe, and it’s gone now, see?” She lifted the hem of her shirt, exposing her midriff. “Nothing there.”

Chopper examined closer. “He really cut you?” he asked.

“Yep, right here.” Nami dragged her finger where the slice Zoro had given her had been.

Chopper leaned in, staring in fascination at the lack of a mark. Usopp had recovered and leaned in as well, earning himself another hit. Nami dropped her shirt after that and glared down at him.

“What was that for?” Usopp groaned, cradling the sore spot on his head.

“Being a pervert,” she said. “I charge for that, you know.”

Usopp made a scoffing noise but Nami ignored him.

“It’s hard to imagine that Zoro would hurt you,” Chopper said, a small frown forming on his face. Nami felt a pang of sympathy for him. She knew he admired Zoro so much; it was probably hard for him to imagine he would do anything to his friends.

“He didn’t know himself,” Nami said, trying to assure him. “Besides, he could have killed me if he really wanted to. He was holding back.”

The news didn’t really seem to comfort the little doctor, and she decided it was probably best to change the subject.

“We should get going,” she said.

“One second!” Chopper cried, moving back to the bed.

Nami and Usopp watched together as he folded the sheets back into the place and covered them with the duvet. He took his time folding moldy pillows, stirring up enough dust to make himself sneeze. Making the bed was a useless practice. The hotel was already in such a state of disrepair, what did messy sheets matter? But Nami felt that the practice meant something more to Chopper than a clean room. It was as if by making the bed, he could lay his dream to rest. She and Usopp waited patiently for him to finish.

Nami looked out the window, to the same stormy sky she’d seen all day. If it was the same day. So much time had passed in Chopper’s dream, she wasn’t sure how much time had passed in the real world. It was probably only minutes, but it might have been much longer.

When Chopper was done, he wiped his eyes just once, turning away from Nami and Usopp as he did so, and then turned to face them with a clear expression.

“Alright! Let’s go.”

* * *

They opened the hotel room door to the pitch-black hallway beyond. The dull light from the room cast one ray of light into the darkness, illuminating a small patch of rotting carpeting and a stained wall.

“It’s so dark,” Chopper said, his voice trembling a little.

“It’s not so bad,” Nami assured him. “It gets lighter at the end of the hall.”

She guided them out into the hallway, stepping clear of the doorway so that the other two could follow her lead. Chopper teetered out behind her, and Usopp followed closely behind him, his eyes scanning the dark, trying to make out any shapes beyond their small ray of light.

The moment Usopp had cleared the doorway, the door to the room, the only ray of light in the darkness, slammed shut behind him.

“Oh man,” Usopp whimpered.

“Why did you close the door?!” Chopper shouted. Nami felt him latch on to her leg.

“I didn’t!” Usopp cried defensively. “It slammed itself shut on its own!”

Chopper began to shake against her, and clung tighter. Nami felt the fear too, and she had the deep unsettling feeling of being watched. Something they couldn’t see in the darkness could see them, and it was observing them closely.

“Enough!” Nami snapped over both Chopper and Usopp’s whimpers.

She felt Usopp bump against her in the dark. Chopper released her in favor of clinging to Usopp instead. She couldn’t see them, but she could hear both Usopp and Chopper in front of her. The sound of their teeth chattering sounded especially loud in the silence of the pitch black hallway.

Nami swallowed and tried to work moisture into her dry mouth. The dark was unnerving, but what did they have to fear? A hotel that tried to keep them locked in dreams couldn’t really hurt them while they were awake, could it? No, probably not. Still, she wished she had her Clima-Tact with her.

“Give me your hand,” she said to Usopp, her own hand finding his arm and following it down. His fingers caught hers and curled around them. His palms were sweaty. “You hold on to Chopper, follow me.”

She guided them through the dark. It didn’t take much navigating, given that the corridor was straight, but the darkness was disorienting. She squeezed Usopp’s fingers a little with her own. The feeling of his hand in hers was reassuring.

After what felt like too long, she could see the light ahead of her, and in another minute they escaped the thick dark of the hallway. A candled flickered bravely from the wall, illuminating the path ahead of them.

“Hey, Nami,” Usopp spoke. She could hear the frown of confusion in his voice without having to turn around.

She ignored him, releasing his hand and turning to Chopper.

“Chopper, listen carefully,” she said. Her voice was firm and serious, the same voice she used before they disembarked on an island or whenever they were making to sail through a storm. It was a voice the crew knew meant business. “You’re going to go down these stairs, all the way. Be careful on the way down to the third floor, there are boards missing. Go down to the kitchen and find Sanji. He probably needs some help down there. If Sanji isn’t in the kitchen, he and Franky are probably both out on the Sunny, go out there.”

“By myself?” Chopper squeaked.

“Yes,” Nami said. “You’ll be fine, there’s nothing that can hurt you.” She paused and then added, “actually, try to find Zoro on your way down there. He got lost on our way up here, so he’s probably down there somewhere.”

The idea of finding Zoro seemed to ease some of Chopper’s fears, and he nodded, although he still looked a little reluctant.

“Usopp and I will find the rest of the crew and meet you down there, don’t worry.” She smiled warmly, trying to seem more optimistic than she felt. Frankly, she was tired of walking through other people’s dreams. When this was over, she was going to take a long, hot bath, eat some of Sanji’s cooking, and then go to sleep for a very long time.

Chopper nodded again and set off down the stairs. Nami and Usopp waited until they could no longer hear his little hooves tapping against the wood before either of them spoke.

“What’s the idea?” Usopp asked first. “Why not take him with us? Chopper’s got a good nose, you know, he probably could have found the rest of the crew pretty fast.

“Something’s not right,” Nami said. She cast her gaze back towards the darkness of the hallway behind them. Goosebumps rose on her skin as the watched feeling seemed to double, and she shuddered. “I didn’t want to put him through anymore for today.”

Usopp chewed on his lip. “Is he gonna be okay on his own though?”

“I think so,” Nami said. “Whatever it is, it’s after us for waking people up. Chopper’s probably better off on his own, honestly.”

“Hey!” Usopp’s knees shook. “What does that mean?”

“Besides.” She ignored him and turned back to the stairs, looking up at the next flight they had to climb. “Zoro will find him; he won’t let anything happen to Chopper.”

“What about us?” Usopp groaned.

“Oh come on you big baby.” She chuckled and took his hand again, tugging him gently towards the steps. “I’ll protect you.”

Usopp snorted, but didn’t pull his hand away. “If you don’t get yourself killed first.”

“I haven’t died yet, right?” she asked, smugly.

Usopp was silent for a moment. His hand tightened around hers, almost to the point that it was painful, but not quite.

“Don’t do that again,” he said seriously.

“Usopp…”

“I mean it. If one of us has to do something like that again, I’ll do it. You can only gamble so much, Nami.”

“It’s a good thing I’m a good gambler,” she said, shooting him a smile. He didn’t return it.

“Okay,” she said, more seriously this time. “You can take over next time.”

Usopp didn’t respond, but he seemed to be pleased with her answer, if his slight smile was anything to go by. With nothing more to be said between them, Nami and Usopp made their way up the stairs.

* * *

The next floor of the hotel was surprisingly… normal. It wasn’t cold or dark like the floor below had been. There was no unusual odor, and no clutter of furniture. There doors were whole and intact, none of them were hanging from their hinges. There were some cobwebs collected on the ceiling, and the carpeting was worn and moth eaten, but all in all it was in much better shape than the floors below.

The only drawback was that the presence of _something else_ seemed thicker here. It was almost oppressive, but there was nothing to see except the long straight corridor and the stairs at the other end of it.

Nami and Usopp proceeded slowly. It seemed that Nami was not the only one to feel like there was something else nearby. Usopp trembled, and each of his steps were reluctant and halting. He followed along with Nami, however, all the way to the first door in the hall.

Nami tried the handle.

“It’s locked,” she said. She jiggled the knob a little, just to make sure it wasn’t rusted and stuck, but it didn’t budge in her hand.

“L-let’s try the next one,” Usopp stuttered.

He and Nami made their way towards the next door, just down the hall and across from the one they’d tried first. With every step, the disturbing feeling doubled, and even Nami couldn’t help but shake now. She released Usopp’s hand, opting instead to link arms with him, giving her a chance to stand closer.

The second door was locked as well. Nami twisted it with a little more force than the last one, almost hoping it would give way and let them inside. It felt like it would be safer inside someone’s dream right now, if only for a little bit. The door didn’t budge, however, and Nami reluctantly released the knob.

“N-not this one either,” she said, her voice trembling. “I guess… the next one.”

She and Usopp made it four steps before they heard a sound that made them both freeze.

It was the sound of a lock sliding open. A slow, grinding sound, coming to a stop with a loud, final click.

Nami felt her blood run cold. She couldn’t even tremble, she didn’t make the slightest movement. Usopp’s arm seemed to lock onto her, his joints creaking audibly as his muscles froze into place.

For several long, drawn out seconds, there was nothing but the sounds of their breathing. Then, with an eerie and disturbing slowness, the sound of a knob turning reached their ears.

“Naaamiii,” Usopp whimpered quietly.

Her fingers squeezed his arm but she didn’t say anything.

Slow, so unbelievably slow, the hinges of the door behind them creaked open. Nami could feel the cool, stale air of the sealed room swirling out into the hallway, brushing against the backs of her legs and neck. She shuddered.

“What do we do?” Usopp asked.

Nami’s eyes rolled to the side, trying to see what was coming up behind them without turning. She couldn’t make anything out even in the furthest reaches of her peripheral vision.

“We’re going to run on the count of three,” she whispered. “One… two…THREE.”

A cold sensation crept down Nami’s spine as she scrambled away, just out of reach of whatever was behind them. She didn’t turn to look, she kept her feet moving, scrambling over the ancient carpeting, moving towards the stairwell at the end of the hallway.

The further they moved from the room, the warmer the air felt, the safer she felt. Usopp was running just a little ways ahead of her, no more than a few steps, and they were so close to the staircase at the opposite end of the hall. They would run downstairs, she decided. She hated to retreat, but they couldn’t do this alone. They would find Zoro and Sanji at the least, Franky and Chopper too if they could. They could all do this together; she and Usopp couldn’t fight off a monster on their own. They didn’t even have their weapons!

Her foot snagged on rise in the carpet. She stumbled a few steps, the momentum of her run carrying her a short distance more before her knees gave way and she fell, skidding against the molding rug. The air rushed from her lungs with the impact, and the skin on her hands and knees burned with the friction, bringing her to a jarring and sudden stop.

“Nami!” Usopp called from somewhere ahead of her. His shout sounded urgent and desperate, but for the briefest moment, one spent gasping for air,  Nami couldn’t recall why.

A cool, stagnant breeze brushed against her skin. Her muscles seized in panic as she remembered why Usopp sounded so panicked, and why she had been running so hard to start with.

“Nami, move!” Usopp shouted at her.

He was too far ahead, and she could feel the presence of _something_ too close. She wished again for her Clima-Tact – for that small chance to defend herself. To maybe, just maybe, get out of this.

She grit her teeth, bracing herself for what was to come, and rolled herself over on to her back.

“Are you alright, Nami?”

She felt like all the air had been forced from her lungs for a second time. She couldn’t breathe, not even a single gasp. Her body was frozen by what she saw before her.

“Belle… mere?” she managed to breathe out.

“Of course, silly. Who else would it be?”

The woman before her folded her arms over her chest and quirked an eyebrow. Everything about her was so familiar to Nami, it was as if she had walked straight out of Nami’s memories. But she was sharper, clearer than Nam’s memories could make her. Nami had almost forgotten what Bellemere’s voice sounded like, the exact color of her hair, and the pattern of her favorite shirt. She had forgotten entirely about how Bellemere smelled –  a mixture of sweet tobacco and spiced oranges. The smell filled every pocket of Nami’s memory, and she gazed up at the woman above her with wide eyes that filled with tears.

“Bellemere!” she cried. She was on her feet in a moment, staggering forwards towards the woman who had raised her. Towards her mother.

“Long time, no see,” Bellemere said. There was a broad and honest smile on her face.

Bellemere held her arms out, and Nami tipped forward. She could feel the warmth of those arms, so close to her. Nami wanted nothing more but to fall into her mother’s familiar embrace.

“Nami.”

Usopp’s fingers caught hers and tugged her back, away from Bellemere.

“Usopp…” She frowned, pulling against his grip. “Let me go.”

“No,” Usopp said firmly. He held her fast, his fingers squeezing hers tightly.

“Usopp!”

There was a man down the hallway. Nami could see him over Usopp’s shoulder. He looked like Usopp in every way, except his nose was shorter, not nearly as exaggerated. Nami stared at the man for a long time, her mind confused by the similarities between the stranger and her friend.

Usopp’s fingers tightened around hers. His eyes never left her, his stare was steadfast and unwavering. He ignored the man behind him.

“Who’s that?” she asked. Something didn’t seem right about the man’s presence, but a hazy fog in her mind seemed to shroud the truth from her.

“Not my father,” Usopp said firmly.

“Nami!” Bellemere called again. “Aren’t you coming?”

Nami frowned. “Coming? Where?”

“Home, silly.” Bellemere laughed. The sound was bold and filled the hallway. “Come on! Nojiko is waiting for us! I promised I’d make your favorite tonight, didn’t I?”

Usopp tugged at her hand, his grip holding onto her firmly.

“Nami, she’s not real.”

Nami stared at Bellemere, her mother. She looked just like Nami remembered, a perfect replica of her memories. It cleared her mind, and the fog started to lift.

“Yeah,” Nami breathed. “I know.”

“Nami?” Bellemere said, the smile on her face falling.

Nami looked away from her, she looked to Usopp instead. Behind him, out of the corner of her eye, she could see his dad. He was frowning, waiting for Usopp to turn around and look at him. Usopp’s eyes locked with hers.

“He’s not real either,” she said.

“I know,” Usopp said. “A daydream?”

Nami couldn’t help but laugh, though the sound was hollow. “Good one.”

She could see the figure of Usopp’s dad wavering like heat rising off hot stones in the summer sun.

“I still have the ingredients to make my fire stars,” Usopp said. “When I get out of here, I’m going to light this whole place on fire.”

Nami smiled, a genuine, gleeful smile. “I think some lightening would help you out.”

Usopp returned the smile. “Perfect.”

Behind him the figure of Usopp’s dad dissipated into black smoke. It shot around for a moment, as if it were seeking a place to hide, and then vanished entirely, dissolving into the air.

“She’s gone,” Usopp said.

“So is he.”

Both Usopp and Nami chanced a look back at where their respective parents had once stood. Nothing of Bellemere remained, not even the smoke the hotel had used to make her. Nami felt a pang of loss tear through her heart, and tears welled up in her eyes.

“I guess that means it’s safe to—hey, Nami?”

“I’m okay,” Nami said. “She just… seemed so real.”

“Yeah…” Usopp stepped forward and put one arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. “I’m sorry.”

Nami let herself stand there a moment, comforted by his warmth. Real warmth, Nami reminded herself. Not the illusionary kind that the hotel had tried to recreate. It was a better trade off, really.

“Thank you,” she muttered. When she finally pulled away, she tried to avoid his gaze, feeling slightly embarrassed. “Come on, let’s save our nakama and burn this place to the ground.”

“Alright,” Usopp said, giving her a warm smile.

They made their way to the third door in the hallway. The presence that seemed to be hovering over them had gone; no doubt it had disappeared with black smoke.

“That was probably a last ditch effort to stop us,” Nami said, trying the handle of the third door. It was locked.

“What next then?” Usopp asked as they moved on to the next door.

“I have no idea,” Nami said. “But I don’t think it has much more fight in it. It’s getting desperate enough to give us day dreams…” She stopped in front of the fourth door in the hall and gave Usopp a wicked smile. “We’re winning.”

She tried the knob to the door. It turned with no effort and the latch gave way, allowing the door to swing open a crack.

Usopp swallowed, staring into the sliver of black beyond the door. “We haven’t won yet,” he said.

“Not yet,” Nami agreed with a firm nod. “But soon.”

They pushed the door open and stepped inside together.

* * *

The air was warm, but not oppressively so. A gentle breeze played through the ends of Nami’s hair. The grass beneath their feel was soft and plush, and colored an unusual light, minty green color.

She and Usopp looked around them. Despite the clear warmth of the sun and the firm foundation of the ground below them, the horizon seemed hazy, almost intangible. The minty green of the grass seemed to fade into yellow and then blue as it met with the sky above them. The line of the horizon wavered and swirled in the wind, and Nami wondered if perhaps an early morning fog was rolling away as the day took hold.

“Wow,” Usopp muttered.

Nami turned to see what he was admiring. The land, aside from the soft grass and the hazy horizon, was comprised of a gently sloping hill and was otherwise barren and deserted aside from a single tree that grew some distance from them.

The tree was massive, it’s trunk so thick it would take Nami at least half an hour to walk around it, and so tall that it seemed to reach endlessly into the sky. It’s bark was white, tinted almost blue beneath the canopy of rich green leaves. Some ways above them, at least a couple of stories up by Nami’s approximation, there were small openings in the trunk of the tree. The openings looked almost like windows and Nami wondered if people had made a home out of the large tree.

“Nami? Usopp?” a familiar, rich alto voice called to them.

Nami managed to drag her eyes away from the behemoth tree long enough to seek out the voice she knew so well.

“Robin?” she asked.

The tree and the hazy horizon had distracted her and Nami hadn’t noticed the small collection of people seated near the base of the tree’s trunk.

“I was wondering when someone would show up,” Robin said. Her smile was warm, familiar, filled with the same mystery and allure the Robin that Nami knew always had.

“You… recognize us?” Usopp frowned.

Nami spared him a glance. Until Usopp had spoken up, she hadn’t really noticed anything was amiss about the situation. She was so use to Robin’s presence that she hadn’t considered it was more strange for Robin to know them than it was for her not to know them.

“Of course.” Robin smiled at him as well. “Come and join us? I’ll explain.”

Nami and Usopp exchanged another glance, and fell into step with each other, following Robin together. As strange as the situation seemed to be, Robin didn’t give of any indication of hostility. They had both met Robin when she was an enemy, and knew she could be quite terrifying as one, but she was their nakama now. They had no reason not to trust her.

As they approached the people sitting beneath the tree, Nami wondered how she hadn’t noticed them sooner. For one thing, one of them was a giant. He sat away from the little tea table the others had set up, but his size made up for his proximity. Despite his overbearing height, his smile was genuine and warm and it was obvious he bared no hostility to them. Usopp stared at him and Nami could see the light of admiration sparking in his eyes. Nami smiled and looked back to the strangers.

Another man sat across the table, facing them. He wore the severe expression of a grumpy old man, but as Nami drew closer, she could see his face relax a little. He had an abundance of hair, fashioned into neat fans that stuck out from all sides of his head. His beard completed the look, hanging long and thick from his chin, and fashioned into the same fan shape as his hair.

There was one last person at the table, sitting catty-corner from the man with the fan shaped hair. She seemed so familiar, in the way she sat and held herself. She turned to look at them as they came closer. She had sharp, wide eyes that seemed capable of reading the truth from everything they perceived. Her eyes were a warm brown color, and sat above a sharp, defined nose.

This woman was related to Robin, there was no doubt of that in Nami’s mind. Though one of Robin’s eyes was blue, the brown of the other matched the rich color of this woman’s eyes perfectly. The size and shape of their eyes and nose were the same as well, although this woman white hair that fell over her shoulders in waves and contrasted Robin’s dark, straight locks.

“Nami, Usopp, I want to introduce you,” Robin said, gesturing to the strangers. “These are my friends. My dear friend, Jaguar D. Saul.” She presented her hand out toward the giant who tipped his large cowboy’s hat and laughed with a distinct laugh Nami had heard Robin use before.

“And this is Clover, my mentor and teacher.” Robin moved her arm to the man with the fanned hair. Nami had to cough to hide her laughter. His name was very fitting given the shape his hair and beard made. Robin gave her a knowing smile before continuing.

“And my mother, Nico Olvia.”

Robin’s mother tipped her head in their direction, a serene and mysterious smile that matched Robin’s on her face.

“This is Nami and Usopp,” Robin said, gesturing to the two of them. “They are part of the crew I joined, that I told you about.”

There was a murmur of consent from Robin’s friends and family. Clover narrowed his eyes again.

“They don’t look like pirates,” he said.

“This is my home,” Robin said to Nami and Usopp, ignoring the old man’s comment. “The island of Ohara.”

Nami stared around her. There was nothing particularly remarkable to be made out on the island except for the massive tree, but she was standing on a piece of history, and more importantly Robin’s history, and that meant everything to her.

“Please, join us, we were just having some coffee,” Robin said.

Nami looked back at the table. Two more chairs had appeared, seemingly out of thin air, for Nami and Usopp to sit down.

Robin poured them each a cup, and Nami took a careful sip. She half expected for the rich bold flavor of coffee to pass her tongue, but it was the same flavorless, insubstantial matter that she usually tasted in dreams. It seemed that though everything here seemed almost normal, it was still just a dream.

Nami set her cup back onto the table and Robin chuckled.

“It doesn’t have much to offer does it,” she said, resting her chin into her elbow and leaning onto the table. “It seems it’s harder to imagine real flavors of things than we would think.”

“Robin?” Usopp frowned, setting his coffee aside as well. “You know this is a dream?”

Robin smiled. “Yes, I’ve known it since I woke up here.”

“But how?” he asked.

A sort of sadness darkened Robin’s face. “Because my home is no longer a part of this world, Usopp.”

Usopp’s cheeks darkened with a blush, and he looked away, ashamed. “Sorry,” he muttered.

Robin shook her head, and the darkness seemed to shake off with it. “No, it’s okay.” She sat up again and the fingers of one of her hands played thoughtfully with the handle of her cup. “I have already come to terms with my past.” She glanced up, her eyes meeting her mother’s and she smiled.

“And I’m very content with my present,” she added.

“So you’ve been awake this whole time?” Nami asked.

“Yes,” Robin said. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to help you sooner. I might sound selfish of me, but I wanted to spend some time with my old friends.”

“It doesn’t sound selfish,” Usopp said.

Robin smiled at him, a warm smile that crinkled the corner of her eyes. “Thank you, Usopp.”

Usopp looked away again, this time in embarrassment.

“Then, shall we go?” Robin asked, making to push herself up from the table.

Nami frowned. None of the others at the table protested, though all of them were gazing sadly at Robin.

“I don’t think one more cup of coffee would hurt,” Nami said.

Robin paused and looked at her. She gave her a grateful smile and nodded. “One more cup would be lovely.

* * *

When they were ready to part, the others rose from the table as well, all except for Saul, who had no reason to stand.

Nami and Usopp turned away, wanting to give Robin a moment of privacy with her loved ones from her past. They could still hear the conversation behind them, but tried not to eavesdrop too much.

“Remember, Robin, even when times are hardest, keep laughing,” Saul said. He followed his statement with a round of laugher. Robin joined in, her own laugh much higher and quieter than his, but it was genuine.

“Don’t forget where you came from,” the old man, Clover, said.

“I started studying the other Poneglyphs after I left,” Robin confessed. “I’m going to discover the true history.”

The old man mad a kind of grumbling noise and then said, “Take care of yourself.”

“Of course,” Robin agreed.

There was a long stretch of silence.

“Mom…” Robin said hesitantly. The word sounded like it was foreign or strange to her.

“It’s nice to hear you call me that,” Olvia replied.

Another moment of silence. Nami chanced a glance over her shoulder. The two women stood facing each other. She noticed Robin was actually taller than her mother, only by a little bit, but enough that she had to look slightly down to see in her mother’s eyes. Nami remembered the vision of Bellemere the hotel had given her just before this. She had been able to look eye to eye with her own mother. She let out a choked laugh.

“You alright?” Usopp asked, glancing her way with concern.

“Yeah,” Nami smiled at him. “I’m fine.”

Behind them, Olvia pulled Robin into a tight hug, one that Robin returned after a moment of surprise.

“I’m so proud of what you’ve become,” Olvia said quietly.

Nami glanced back again but looked away quickly. She would pretend she never saw the tears in Robin’s eyes.

It was another moment before Robin joined them. When she did, her eyes were dry and clear, and Nami almost doubted her own vision.

“Shall we go then?” Robin asked.

“Doesn’t something have to happen?” Usopp asked. He glanced fearfully up at the tree above them and pointed. “Like that has to come down on our heads or something?”

Robin laughed lightly. It was not the same laugh she had shared with Saul. That was a laugh Nami heard rarely, and only when they were all together enjoying a party.

“No, I don’t think that’s necessary,” Robin said. “I think we only need to walk through that door.”

As she said it, a door materialized in front of them. It was ornately carved and polished wood, and it looked out of place sitting alone in the middle of an empty field of grass.

“Ready?” Robin asked, twisting the knob.

Nami and Usopp nodded, and Robin pushed the door open. She did not look back as she walked through the doorway, into a blackness beyond,  but Nami did. She took one last look around the island of Ohara, though it began to swirl and dissipate into mist without Robin to sustain the dream. She looked back and saw the trio of Robin’s loved ones standing where Robin had left them. They were imaginary figments of Robin’s own memory, but the expressions on their faces could not have been imaginary.

Darkness closed in behind Nami as she walked through the doorway, and then the door shut behind her, closing off her last look at the island of Ohara.

* * *

Nami came to on the floor of the hotel room as she always did, but it was different this time. She didn’t wake with a start, jolted to consciousness by the violent ending of the last dream she had walked into. Instead her consciousness seemed to return gradually, as she floated back from the blackness of her sleep and returned to the reality of her life.

She could hear Usopp shifting beside her, pulling himself up, and she finally opened her eyes.

She felt better than she had before, almost as if she had actually gotten the chance to rest for a moment, which she supposed she had.

“Good morning,” Robin greeted.

She was already out of bed, looking like she had never really been asleep. Her clothes were straightened and neat and not a hair on her head was out of place. Nami ran her fingers through her own tangled locks with envy.

Usopp yawned and stressed, jostling Nami gently with his arm as she did so. “Morning,” he said.

Robin smiled. “Thank you for coming to get me,” she said warmly. “It would have been harder to leave if I had stayed there much longer.”

Nami and Usopp blinked at her.

“You’re welcome, Robin,” Nami said.

Robin looked around the room, taking in her surroundings. “Not in very good shape is it?” she asked.

Nami looked around the room as well. “No. It seems the nice hotel we thought we were staying at was actually an illusion.”

“Hmm,” Robin hummed. “What a powerful ability. I wonder what causes it.”

“We don’t know,” Nami said. “But we do know that it’s getting weaker each time we wake someone up. I think it needs us for energy.”

“Feeding on our life source while keeping us placated in our happiest dreams… how cliché,” Robin chuckled darkly. “How many of us are still sleeping?”

“Just Luffy and Brook,” Usopp said.

“Unless the others fell back into this places trap,” Nami said. “We haven’t heard from anyone else since we separated.”

“I’m sure that they will be fine,” Robin said. “Our crew is much sharper than this place gives us credit for.”

Nami and Usopp exchanged a look. Nami remembered the power of the day dream she could have easily succumbed to had it not been for Usopp. But maybe Robin was right. She needed to have faith in the others.

“Luffy and Brook should be just upstairs,” Nami said.

Robin spared a glance at the ceiling and then looked back to Nami and Usopp.

“Actually, if you don’t mind going on alone, I think I’d like to look into what might power this hotel,” she said. “It will give us a stronger chance of defeating it when the time comes.” She paused and then her smile turned devious. “Besides, I think you two have rather enjoyed your time together, and I would hate to interrupt.”

Nami blushed and both she and Usopp looked away, avoiding each other’s gaze.

“Robin,” Usopp groaned.

Robin chuckled and moved around them towards the door. “I will meet up with you later,” she said, pulling the door to her room open and making to step into the hallway.

“Robin, wait!” Nami called.

Robin paused in the door and turned to face her, a question written in her eyes.

“Be careful out there,” Nami said. “It’s losing power, but this place can make daydreams as well. They’re powerful.”

Robin’s lips curled upwards. “Don’t worry about me. This place has nothing it can offer me that would lure me from my path,” she said, and then she stepped out into the hall. She left the door open for Nami and Usopp behind her.

“She’s scary,” Usopp said, though the tone of his voice indicated more admiration for Robin than actual fear.

Nami laughed. “She can be,” she agreed. “But she can be awesome too.”

“Very,” Usopp said, nodding.

Nami jabbed him gently with her elbow. “Come on. Let’s go get Luffy and Brook. Maybe we can toast marshmallows over the flames this place makes.

Usopp chuckled. “We could toast a whole sea king.” He rubbed his stomach at the thought. “That actually sounds amazing, yeah, let’s go.”

Nami led the way, stepping out of the door that Robin had left open for them. By the time they made it out into the hall, Robin was already gone, leaving no indication of which way she had gone.

Usopp filed out behind her and shut the door behind him with a firm and final click.


	10. Chapter 10

Nami and Usopp made their way up the next set of steps. The wood creaked dangerously under their feet, and they exchanged worried glances.

“I hope this place doesn’t come down on top of us,” Usopp said.

Nami punched him in the arm. “Shut up, don’t say things like that.”

Usopp grumbled and rubbed his arm as they climbed the last flight of steps.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Usopp frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Nami asked.

Usopp gestured ahead of them. “This is the last set of steps; shouldn’t there be one more floor?”

Nami looked with alarm to the wall ahead of them. It was true. By the pattern they had been following, there was one member of their crew on each floor of the hotel, but they were still two members short and there was only one floor left.

Nami stepped forward and pressed a firm hand against the wall ahead. She was hoping the wall would give way, proving to be just another desperate illusion set up by the hotel. Or maybe a trick door would open, revealing another set of steps beyond it. But the wall remained solid under her hand, and no matter how hard she pushed, it wouldn’t budge.

A sprinkle of plaster rained down on her and she looked up. The ceiling was closer now than it had ever been before. The ceiling of the stairwell had seemed impossibly far beyond their reach before, stretching up into the darkness many floors above them. But now it was no higher than the ceiling of the hall beyond them. She could make out faint cracks spinning an intricate web above them.

“Man it really looks like it’s gonna cave in,” Usopp groaned.

“I don’t get it,” Nami said, ignoring his worries for now. “Where’s the next floor?”

“Maybe the stairs at the other end of the hall go up another floor?” Usopp asked. “It’s possible if that’s the last floor that they only made one stairwell go up that way.”

Usopp and Nami made their way down the hallway, bypassing all the doors for now. This hallway was dustier, and much grimier than the other floors had been. Every step resulted in a puff of dust rising beneath their feet. Cobwebs were more plentiful here, and their creators, fat, ugly spiders, crawled further into the shadows as Nami and Usopp passed. Nami suppressed a shudder of disgust and kept moving.

They reached the stairs on the other side of the hall, but they were identical to the set they had just climbed. There was nothing but a blank wall ahead of them, and the ceiling was clearly visible above them.

Nami pressed against this wall as well, but to no avail. She could feel a small surge of panic welling up in her.

“What do we do?” she asked Usopp.

“Relax,” Usopp said. “There were plenty of doors we didn’t try on all the floors below, I’m sure one of them is hiding our nakama.”

Nami frowned. “But that doesn’t make sense, why would you create a pattern and throw one outlier into it?”

“Well it worked to trick us, right?” Usopp asked.

Nami shook her head and sighed. It just didn’t feel right, there was something very wrong about the situation, she just didn’t know what it was.

“Look, we still have this floor to get through, let’s check these doors and we’ll figure out our next step after, alright?” Usopp said, his tone calm and reasoned.

Nami nodded. Usopp was right, two of their nakama still needed help, and one of them was on this floor.

“One step at a time,” Usopp said.

“Yeah,” Nami agreed with a nod. “Come on.”

They approached the nearest door and tried the knob. It turned in Usopp’s hand on the first try.

“Ohh, lucky!” Usopp smiled. “Are you ready?”

Nami took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then let it go. With it, she tried to release all of her worry, panic, and exhaustion.

“Ready,” she nodded.

Usopp swung the door open and they stepped inside.

* * *

They stepped out onto the deck of a ship. It was not a ship Nami recognized, and she didn’t know any of the crew that surrounded her either. Beyond the ship was an endless stretch of sea. She couldn’t tell where they were without any indication of bearing and the new log pose on her wrist didn’t read any differently than it had in all the time she’d been in the hotel.

The door they had stepped through that seemed to actually lead somewhere below deck snapped shut behind them, and several of the strange crew turned their heads at the sound. It only took a moment for the crew to detect stowaways on their ship, and Nami and Usopp were surrounded.

“At least we didn’t land in the water again, eh?” Usopp joked under his breath.

“Really not the right moment, Usopp,” Nami said through clenched teeth, her eyes spanning the crowd of men in front of her. They were no doubt pirates, and that knowledge only made her more uneasy.

Usopp swallowed audibly. “I know.”

The crowd seemed to close in around them. Though none of the men made any quick or violent movements, Nami kept on her toes, and her eyes sought out any potential weapons that might be around her.

She had just settled on a mop handle that sat not too far away on her left and she was just plotting how to get at it before the pirates got her and Usopp when a familiar, jovial voice spoke up.

“What’s the meaning of this? What’s happening here?”

A figure parted the crowd and emerged from between two large and burly men.

The man that emerged was tall, hovering over both Nami and Usopp, but he was thin. There didn’t seem to be an ounce of fat or muscle on his body at all. He adjusted a pair of round sunglasses over his eyes. His skin was dark, not as dark as Usopp’s but much darker than Nami’s. Nami made a special note of the man’s skin and the shape of his nose and chin, and she did so because everything else about the man was so obvious and familiar she couldn’t help but stare in amazement.

“Brook?” she asked.

There was no mistaking it. The outdated but sharp black suit with the orange ruffled shirt underneath was in much better shape than it had been the last time Nami had seen it, but she supposed that was the difference fifty years adrift at sea would make. And more than anything, the impressively large afro was undeniably Brook’s. It was the hair he had prided himself on, the hair that he swore would make himself recognizable to Laboon all these years later, and it made him recognizable to Nami now.

“Hm?” The man, the living flesh and blood version of Brook that stood in front of her, raised an eyebrow and leaned closer. “Do I know you?”

“Hey,” Usopp frowned, looking at the man before them. “It is Brook!”

“It is he, I am him,” Brook laughed, that trilling “yohoho!” and any chance of doubt that it was him vanished from Nami’s mind.

Brook looked at the both of them, surveying them carefully up and down.

“Excuse me miss,” he said, stepping closer to Nami. “May I see your panties?”

Yep, it was Brook alright.

“Nami,” Usopp whispered, “don’t hit him!”

It took Nami a lot of effort to uncurl her fist and lower her hand back to her side. Only the fact that so many strange men surrounded them, more than she and Usopp could fight off, stopped her.

“Brook!” Another voice called over the crowd.

A man appeared. He was almost a head shorter than Brook but that didn’t stop him from slinging a friendly arm over Brook’s shoulders, forcing the musician to hunch down next to him.

“That’s not a nice way to talk to our guests!” the man said. He leaned forward a bit, tipping too close to Nami and Usopp before swaying backwards again. “She is mighty pretty though!” He laughed. It was a laugh as distinct as Brook’s, but different.

Usopp’s face set into a frown and he glared at the man in front of him.

“What should we do with them, captain?” one of the men from the crowd asked.

“We could invite the girl to dinner!” another said. “I bet she’d make a nice dessert!”

The crew of pirates laughed. Usopp’s glare shot around to them all, and his fingers twitched near his pocket. It was a useless gesture, Nami knew, because he didn’t have his sling shot on him.

“Hey!” the man that had latched himself to Brook yelled, loud enough to be heard over the laughter of the crew. He had distinct tattoos on his face, lines that ran from his lower lip and his left eye, that were intersected by two other lines running parallel to each other. When the man smiled, the tattoos seemed to fold together, but when he frowned, as he was now, they fell straight. It was almost as if they had the effect of enhancing the expression on his face, making it more jovial or threatening as his mood allowed.

“That’s not how we treat our guests.”

He released Brook who stood upright again, rolling his shoulders and neck.

“I’m Yorki, captain of the Rumbar Pirates,” the man said, stepping forward and extending his hand.

Usopp stared at the offered hand for a moment before shaking it, though he kept a cold glare in his eyes.

Yorki didn’t seem upset, and offered his hand to Nami as well. She shook it, and tried to shoot Usopp a warning look while she was at it. The fact was, they were at the mercy of these pirates, and they needed to stay in their good graces if there was any chance of getting Brook to wake up.

Besides, Nami recognized the name of this crew from the stories Brook had told them around the dinner table. The crew might not have made a very good first impression, but this was Brook’s first crew. They were men Brook had spoken so fondly of looking back in his memories. It was a crew that had been killed at sea over fifty years ago.

“I don’t know what brings you aboard my ship, but please, join us for meal,” Yorki said. He was smiling again, sincere and friendly.

Nami looked up at the sky. They wind was changing, and even though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, she could sense ominous drop in the atmospheric pressure.

“We’d love to join you,” Nami said, “but you’re not going to enjoy the meal very much if you don’t change your heading to avoid that storm.”

Yorki and the rest of the crew looked up to the crystal clear blue sky. When he looked back at Usopp and Nami, his smile fell into a lopsided grin.

“You must be mistaken,” Yorki said.

“I don’t think so,” Nami said. She pointed out to the horizon, east according to the sun. In the distance but growing in size by the second were thick, dark clouds. “Unless you want to sail through that.”

Yorki looked to the growing collection of dark clouds and then back to Nami, obviously impressed.

“All hands on deck!” he called to the men around them, his eyes never leaving her.

The crew around him scrambled to their positions. Nami had to admire how quickly they reacted, getting into position with little to no direction from their captain.

“Take us three hundred and twenty degrees!” he shouted again.

Slowly the large ship began to turn, bearing west and away from the storms that were to come.

“Unfurl the sails!” he said.

The sails dropped on his command, and a wind –the wind of the approaching storm – filled them. They snapped taught, and the ship began to pick up speed.

Nami made her way across deck, easily dodging the crew as they worked to escape the oncoming storm. Usopp called after her, telling her to wait for him and stop. He was having a much more difficult time picking his way across the deck. She ignored him though, making for the rail to check the progress of the storm behind them.

Waves began to swell, spraying droplets of cold sea water into the air. Nami ignored the spray, though it was unpleasant and cold, and kept her eye on the horizon. The clouds grew, gaining on them as if the storm were coming after them specifically, trying to drown the ship in the ocean that it sailed on. It wouldn’t catch them though, Nami could feel the shifting in the air as the currents changed, taking them out of range of the storm and back into safer waters.

“Keep on this course,” she said to Yorki. “We’ll be clear of it in another twenty minutes.”

Yorki nodded and shouted his orders to the crew.

“I wish our crew worked this nicely together,” Nami said to Usopp, who had finally managed to catch up. She sighed and leaned against the railing.

“Our crew is great!” Usopp managed between pants. He was winded from his attempt to keep up to her.

“Yeah,” Nami agreed. “But it’s nice not to have to shout at Zoro to get up and help or to have to dive after Luffy because he did something stupid and ended up shooting himself into the water.”

Usopp looked like he was going to protest, but then shook his head. There was a fond smile on his face.

“I guess you have a point.”

They were interrupted by Yorki’s return. “Hey! Girl!” he called.

“I have a name,” Nami snapped. “And it’s Nami.”

“Nami,” Yorki repeated. As smile spread out over his face. “Thanks for the warning! You’re one hell of a weather detector.”

“She’s one hell of a navigator,” Usopp corrected sharply.

“Yeah?” Yorki asked, raising his eyebrows and looking between them. “What’s your name?” he said asked Usopp.

“I’m Usopp,” he replied, folding his arms over his chest and looking smug. “Bravest warrior in all the seas.”

Yorki whistled, impressed. “A top notch navigator and a warrior! The both of you have to join us for dinner now,” Yorki said. “We owe you.”

Usopp glanced at Nami and shrugged, letting his arms fall to his sides. What other choice did they have in the matter, really? Though Nami supposed it was nice they got a friendly invite and weren’t, say, locked away somewhere.

“Sure,” Nami said to Yorki. “We’d love to.”

* * *

The Rumbar Pirates were, if possible, even more energetic during their meals than the Straw Hat Pirates were. At least when the Straw Hats sat down to eat, they actually _ate._ It might have been constant fight to keep their food safe from Luffy, and it might have been filled with the bickering and chatter of their crew, but food was definitely eaten. Sanji saw to that every time.

The Rumbar Pirates, on the other hand, only seemed to eat when there was a lull between songs and the thought occurred to them to do so. Most of their dinnertime activities included a live band performance, and a round of energetic dancing and singing to accompany it.

“Look at Brook go,” Usopp said, pointing out their musician.

He sat at the large piano that was mounted on a short stage at the front of the mess hall. More than just playing the music, however, Brook seemed to embody it, moving and swaying and bouncing to the beat, the rhythm, and the melody of whatever tune they were playing. Usopp and Nami had always known their crew’s musician to be lively, full of energy and life despite his current state of being. But the Brook they knew was never quite like this. The Brook they knew was an understated, off color version of this Brook.

Maybe it was because the energy of the crew was different. The Rumbars were a much larger crew, and the crowd gave off more excitement and energy than the small Straw Hat crew could match, though they certainly did try. Maybe it was because here, Brook was one musician among several others, and that gave him the opportunity to feed off the music the others were performing, and a filled him with a need to perform his best, just for them. Whatever the reason was, this younger version of Brook seemed even more alive than the Brook they knew, in more ways than one.

“We need to go talk to Brook,” Nami said, bumping shoulders with Usopp lightly to get his attention. “Come on.”

Usopp stood and followed. None of the Rumbar pirates even seemed to acknowledge that the two of them had left their plates of food untouched behind them. They wouldn’t have been the only ones to do so anyway.

Nami and Usopp carefully weaved their way through the excited crowd of pirates, dodging elbows and dancers as they went. More than a couple of times, Nami ended up walking straight into someone, or they would smash into her as they twisted their way through a dance. Her apologies went unheard, it was as if that kind of thing were just expected to happen, and after the first couple of times she stopped apologizing, and continued on her way.

She and Usopp both made it to the edge of the stage. The platform was only maybe knee-high, but it gave Brook enough of a boost above them that they had to try several times to get his attention.

“Brook!” Nami finally shouted, giving up the idea of subtly. It didn’t seem to work here.

A few of the Rumbar Pirates turned her way, but most of them lost interest as quickly as she grabbed it. The important thing was that Brook was also now looking her way.

“Yohoho! If it isn’t our guests of honor!” His fingers never stopped playing, even as he leaned closer to be able to hear them speak over the music. “Did you have any requests?” he asked.

“Actually, we were hoping we could talk to you,” Usopp said. “Alone. Later?”

The song was reaching its crescendo. Brook ignored them in order to give the music his full attention for a moment. The tempo picked up its pace, the volume of the piece rose, and Brook’s fingers pounded almost viciously against the keys. The song hit its peak, and with a tremendous cheer, the Rumbars brought it to its end.

Brook was slightly winded, and there was sweat beading on his brow, but the smile on his face was proud and accomplished.

“I’m sorry.” He leaned down to them again after the excitement ended. “What did you want to hear?”

Usopp opened his mouth to repeat what he’d said, but Nami cut him off.

“What about ‘Bink’s Sake’?” she asked. “It’s one of our favorites.”

Brook laughed. “One of ours too! Okay! ‘Bink’s Sake’!”

Without any further cues to the other musicians on the stage, Brook began to play. It only took a second for the others to catch on, and soon the whole band had joined in.

Usopp looked at Nami, the unspoken question written plainly in his raised eyebrows and in the quirk at the corner of his lips.

“It’s no use right now,” Nami said. “We might as well enjoy ourselves for now. We’ll try later when there isn’t so much going on.”

Usopp didn’t look entirely in agreement with that idea, but he nodded anyway. “Let’s dance then!” he said, a smile stretching onto his face.

His smile was contagious, and Nami found herself returning it as she followed him out into the crowd of dancing Rumbar Pirates. Nami and Usopp spent a moment watching them, to see if they had a specific dance worked out among them. But the crowd danced and cheered in undulating chaos, with no real rhyme or reason behind their movements except the need to move to the music they were given. It was joy and good cheer that fueled their dancing, and Nami and Usopp found it an easy mood to get caught up in.

It wasn’t long before they were dancing arm and arm, swinging a wide circle before kicking their lets out and reversing the movement. It was a dance Usopp had coordinated on the spot, using his eye for creativity to make a simple routine for them. The dance might have been simple, but every movement ended in a little trick. A kick here, a dip there; Nami messed up more than a couple of times, each time making Usopp and herself laugh. There was no shame in her mistakes, only more laughter and fun came from them.

They danced through the round of “Bink’s Sake”, and through the next song after that, and the one after that. Nami lost track of how much time they spent dancing, and it was only the very real need for something to drink that pulled them away from the dancefloor and back to the table.

They both stared into their cups, filled with liquid that would do nothing for them.

“Damn,” Nami cursed, wiping at her brow. Dancing had worked up a sweat, and her hair was sticking to the back of her neck. She pulled it up, holding it off her skin and allowing the air to get to her. It helped, but not as much as a decent drink would have.

“Robin’s dream gave me an idea,” Usopp said, picking up the two cups and handing one to Nami. “Maybe we can imagine our drinks.”

“Robin’s tea didn’t taste like anything either,” Nami pointed out.

“No,” Usopp said, “but it doesn’t need to. We don’t need to imagine the flavor, just the hydration. If we can get hurt in dreams because they trick our minds, why can’t we drink and feel better for it?”

Nami stared into the contents of her cup. “That… just might work,” she said.

“On the count of three?” Usopp said. “Try to imagine it’s the best glass of water you’ve ever had. One… Two… Three.”

Nami closed her eyes. She didn’t need to imagine her thirst, the dance floor had made that very real. She just needed to picture how good a glass of water would feel to her body right now.

When Usopp hit three she drank, tipping her head back to drain the contents of the cup in one go. It didn’t taste like anything, and it had the same insubstantial and foreign texture in her mouth as it always did, but she could almost feel a fresh glass of water filling her stomach, and by the time she set her cup back onto the table next to Usopp’s, her thirst was gone.

“Whoa,” Usopp said. “It worked!”

Nami smiled. “It would have been nice to know that sooner.”

“Do you think it works on food?” Usopp asked, poking at the cold chicken leg on his plate.

Nami considered it. “Maybe? But I don’t know if I’m _that_ good at pretending,” she said. The strange texture of dream food might have been passable as drink, but it didn’t compare at all to the solidity of food.

“Maybe you have a point,” Usopp said, sliding his plate away from him. “What next?” he asked.

Nami’s eyes scanned across the crowd of Rumbar Pirates. The party was still ongoing, and didn’t show any sign of stopping any time soon. Brook was still pounding away at his piano, jamming on keys so hard Nami wondered if they strings inside would break. But they held and the music swelled and brought more dancers to the floor.

“Let’s go back up on deck,” Nami suggested. “I could use some fresh air, and we’ll plan what to do next from there.”

Usopp nodded and they made their way up the steps and through the door that would lead them back up to deck.

Nami pushed through the door and immediately froze. She stopped so suddenly that Usopp walked straight into her, his nose stabbing into the back of her head.

“Ow! Nami! What did you stop for?”

Nami didn’t answer him. She took another few steps out onto the deck, her eyes cast skywards as she went.

“Something’s not right,” she finally said, turning her attention back to Usopp.

Usopp looked up as well, but it was obvious by the confusion on his face that he didn’t see the problem that she did.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking back at her.

Nami scanned the horizon just to be sure, but she knew she wasn’t wrong.

“The sun is rising,” she said, pointing to its position in the sky.

“What?”

“Look.” Nami jabbed her finger toward the sun. “When we got here it was _evening_. The Rumbars just served _dinner_ , but the sun is rising up from the east.”

Usopp looked skyward, his brow furrowing. “Are you sure you’re not just turned around?” he asked. “We did have to outrun that storm earlier, right? Maybe you’ve got east and west mixed up?”

Nami narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you really suggesting I don’t know which direction is east?”

Usopp put his hands up defensively. “No! I’m just saying maybe you got a little confused! It happens.”

“It doesn’t happen to me,” Nami snapped, turning her attention back to the sky.

She marched across the deck towards the helm. There was no one manning it, as the crew was currently below deck enjoying themselves. It only took Nami a moment to find what she was looking for, a single needled enclosed in glass. The needle held steady, a northeastern direction.

Nami jabbed her finger at it. “Are you going to tell a compass that it’s wrong too?” she asked.

Usopp frowned. “I didn’t say you were wrong, Nami,” he said. “It’s just a weird situation and I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a mistake.”

She clicked her tongue and looked back up at the sky. Above her, the last few stars were fading quickly as the sky turned from deep blue to a lighter gray. “We were below deck for a couple of hours, but not a _whole night_ ,” she said.

Usopp looked away from the sky and around at the deck.

“Hey,” he said, tapping Nami’s arm to get her attention.

She followed his line of sight to the railing of the ship. A lone figure stood, leaning on his  elbows against the rail, his eyes turned skywards at well. It was Captain Yorki, Nami noted. Why was the captain alone on the deck when his crew was having a party below deck?

Nami stepped away from the helm, approaching Yorki.

“Ah! Good morning!” he greeted when he spotted them.

“Good morning,” Nami said. She didn’t bother to point out that it should be sometime after sunset right now.

“Did you have a good time last night?” he asked, turning his position so that he was facing them.

“Yes,” Nami said. “Your crew is very lively.”

He laughed. “We pride ourselves on our taste for music, though we might get carried away with it.”

“The crew will be up soon,” he continued. “I’m always up early to watch the sun rise and to plot our course for the day,” he said.

“So it was dark when you got up?” Nami asked.

“Hm? No, not today,” he said. “I might have gotten a little carried away myself last night, I overslept a little.” He winked at the both of them, a conspiratorial smile on his face. “Don’t tell my men that though.”

“You’re secret is safe,” Usopp said.

Other members of the crew began to drift up from below deck after that, and Yorki was pulled aside by some of them to discuss the day’s course. Nami and Usopp let him go, stepping away and finding a quiet place to themselves.

“Watch for Brook,” Nami said. “It might be the only chance we get to talk to him.”

Usopp and Nami waited. The Rumbar Pirates arrived from all areas of the ship, not just the mess hall, as if they had drifted off to bed or to work in the time that Nami and Usopp had been on the deck. Some of them milled around for a while, enjoying the pleasant weather the day brought. A few smoked cigarettes or pipes before returning back below deck, probably to start their chores or jobs.

Finally, Brook came out from one of the doors that led below deck. He waved to a couple of the men on deck who called out to him, but he didn’t approach them or stop to talk. He made his way to the railing, to the same place his captain had been standing earlier that morning. It was fully bathed in sunlight now. He turned his face skyward, and a serene smile stretched across his lips. It looked as if he were enjoying the moment of silence.

Nami and Usopp headed his way, but slowly, giving him the moment it seemed he needed to enjoy. It was only when he turned his head, ever so slightly, to investigate the reason behind a loud shout by one of the men on deck that Nami and Usopp felt it was okay to approach him.

“Good morning, Brook.”

Brook turned to them, his eyebrows raised in surprise but a smile already on his face.

“Good morning!” he said to them. “Um… I’m afraid I didn’t catch your names.”

“I’m Nami, and this is Usopp,” Nami said.

“What fortune must have been shining on us when we picked you up, my dear,” he said to Nami, bowing deeply. “I do hope you’ll forgive my transgressions yesterday. I meant you know harm, though I might have a crude sense of humor.”

Nami and Usopp exchanged a look.

“No offense, taken,” Nami said, trying not to laugh at Brook’s old fashioned and flowery way of speaking. They were in the era of his memories now, after all, a time long before either of them were born. Nami couldn’t help but to feel Brook was a little _too_ into the role however.

He tipped his head into a short bow again. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?” he asked.

Nami pursed her lips, unsure of what to say. Now might have been a good time to ask Brook something that might jar him awake, but she couldn’t think of what might be effective. She looked to Usopp for help, a suggestion of some sort, maybe, but he only shrugged.

Brook turned his head back towards the sun. “Isn’t the sunlight so nice?” he asked them. “It can warm you even in the darkest of times.”

A squeaking cry interrupted the chatter on deck, and several men ran to the opposite railing of the ship, leaning over it and waving down at the water.

“That will be Laboon,” Brook said to no one in particular, and started to walk towards the opposite railing himself.

“Brook!” Nami called, stopping him in his tracks.

He turned back. “Yes?”

“I’ll make my request later,” she said. “If you will speak to me then…”

“Of course.” He removed the top hat from his head and gave another short bow. “Come and find me and we will talk then!”

He left them behind, joining his crew on the opposite end of the ship. Usopp and Nami followed curiously, squeezing through the crowd to see what the commotion was about.

A whale bobbed in the water beside the ship. It was small, still just a baby, and it squeaked and spun excitedly as the crew called down to it. Brook pushed his way through the crowd, his old violin in his hands.

“Good morning, Laboon!” he called down to the baby whale in greeting. “A song for you?”

The baby whale squeaked and bobbed, making small waves lap against the ship’s hull.

Brook began a round of “Bink’s Sake” on his violin, the rest of the crew joining in with the lyrics. Nami and Usopp fell back, allowing the Rumbar crew to celebrate a song without them.

Usopp shook his head in disbelief. “That’s Laboon? No way,” he said. “There is no way that little whale is Laboon.”

“Well I did read that island whales shoot up in size when they reach maturity. It’s kind of the whale version of puberty, so…”

“No.” Usopp covered his ears and shook his head, a solemn expression on his face. “Say no more.”

Nami laughed at him. Her laughter died off as she watched the Rumbar Pirates trying to entice their small whale friend into a dance.

“What are we going to say to him?” she asked.

Usopp uncovered his ears and looked at Brook. “Try the old ‘this is a dream’ speech?”

Nami made a face and looked back up at the sun that rose before it had ever set.

“I don’t think it’s going to work here,” she said.

Usopp sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Should we make ourselves scarce while we brainstorm?”

“Yeah,” Nami said. She turned her back on the cries of the little whale from the past and followed Usopp to a quiet corner where they could sit and think while they watched the day wane away.

* * *

Yorki was the one to find them.

“Is there something the matter?” he asked. “The two of you have been hidden away here all day.”

Nami and Usopp hadn’t exactly been hidden very well. They chose an open spot on the deck, shielded only by a collection of empty barrels on one side and a stack of crates on the other. Containers ready for resupply, Nami assumed, left out on the deck for easy access when they reached the next island. They must have been close to one, though the endless stretch of water before them never seemed to change even as the hours passed by.

Still, despite their not-so-hidden hiding place, the Rumbar Pirates had left them more or less alone all day. They hadn’t even seemed to notice that there were two people sitting there among the crates and barrels, or so Nami and Usopp thought. Apparently, at least one person had noticed.

“Everything is fine,” Nami said. “We were just keeping out of the way while your crew worked.”

Yorki laughed. “Considerate of you!” he said. “It’s lunch time now though. Won’t you come and join us?”

Nami looked around with some surprise. The deck had emptied of most of the crew, with only a few men left milling around, working at various chores. She hadn’t even noticed the absence of people.

Truthfully, she and Usopp had given up brainstorming not long after they’d started. Every idea that they came up with was a dead end, and after a few well-meaning but ill-timed comments, the two of them had started bickering. They were tired, stressed, and at their wits end. Dream after dream had worn them down, emotionally and physically. All Nami was almost willing to skip the bath at this point. She needed a goodnight’s sleep, but she was stuck in a strange place, alone with just Usopp for company. He was just as worn out as she was, and that made their patience with each other short.

They lapsed into silence after their argument, but despite their frustrations with each other, it occurred Nami that Usopp was really all she had right now. Her temper and stubbornness kept her quiet, but her need for a familiar face kept her seated close to him. Thankfully their fight didn’t last long, Usopp broke it after only a little while.

“Did I ever tell you the story of the old witch in the mountains?”

Nami gave up brainstorming in favor of listening to Usopp’s farfetched tales. They were ridiculous, but good for a laugh, and she’d lost track of time listening to them.

Nami looked back up at Yorki. “Lunch?” she repeated, her giving up and going blank on her for a moment. “Oh, uh, yeah.”

She stood up, and Usopp stood behind her. They squeezed out from between the stacks of containers, a task made more difficult by their stiffened joints, and followed after Yorki as he led them back towards the mess hall.

Nami could already hear the thundering beat of drums accompanied by the stomping of feet and the clapping of hands. A faint melody squealed out from a violin, though the sound was almost too faint to make out properly. Men’s voices chanted along with the music, their words lost in the volume of their shouting.

Once they were below deck it would be almost too loud to communicate again. The Rumbar’s love of music was energetic, and gave so much life to the crew and the ship they sailed on, but it was inconvenient if you wanted to have a conversation.

“Excuse me, Captain Yorki,” Nami called, just as Yorki opened the door that would lead down a few steps into the mess hall. The sound of the music nearly doubled with the door open, and Nami could hear a colorful sailor’s shanty being sang out from the mess hall.

Yorki turned, letting the door fall shut as he did so, the music returned to a muffled lull.

“Yes?” he asked, looking between them, curiously.

“Can we talk to you for a moment? About Brook?” Nami asked.

She wasn’t sure what she was getting at, she was probably just grasping at straws. Yorki was, after all, a figment of Brook’s dreams. But maybe he could help them in some way. It wouldn’t have been the first time that the memory characters in their nakama’s dreams had come to their aid. Hiluluk seemed semi aware of what was happening when Nami and Usopp came to stay, and Robin’s friends seemed to know their time with her was limited. Maybe it wasn’t unreasonable to think that Yorki might help them too. Maybe the memories of their loved ones were more powerful than a hotel could manipulate.

“Brook?” Yorki stepped away from the door, backing them out onto the deck once more so that they would be clear of any crewmembers that might be coming or going from the mess hall. “What’s wrong with Brook? He’s a sassy man but I promise he means no harm.”

“No, no.” Nami shook her head and waved her hand dismissively. “He didn’t do anything, we were just wondering… um….”

“Brook is loyal, right?” Usopp asked, picking up Nami’s dropped sentence.

Yorki’s eyebrows furrowed. “Brook? Of course he is! There’s no one I trust more!”

“So if something were to happen, to you or the crew, how do you think Brook would react?”

Nami jabbed Usopp in the ribs, hard enough to make him wince, but he held his ground and waited for Yorki to answer. Nami wanted to hit him over the head. What was he thinking, asking something like that? He made them sound suspicious in a single sentence!

Though Usopp winced, the seriousness of his expression didn’t waver, and the determination in his eyes stayed her hand. Yorki seemed to notice it as well, and though he looked more confused than ever, he seemed to contemplate the question, thinking about how to give a real answer.

“I’m not sure,” Yorki finally said. “Brook isn’t really the type to hold grudges or seek revenge, but then he would fight to the death to protect his friends if that’s what it took.” He paused. “He might blame himself for not doing enough to protect us.”

A funny look came over Yorki’s face, but then he shook his head and it was gone. Instead, he smiled.

“He’s a pretty gentle fellow at heart,” Yorki said with a broad and sincere smile. Then the smile faded just a little as he asked, “Why do you ask?”

Nami looked at Usopp, waiting for the excuse he would come up with. He was the one who had so bluntly asked the question, after all. Usopp looked to her for help, but she only folded her arms over her chest and looked at him expectantly.

“This is a dream and the Brook we know is trapped in it?” Usopp squeaked out in one breath and shrugged.

Nami’s hand smacked against her face and dragged down, pulling skin and stretching her features as she stared between her fingers at Usopp in disbelief.

Thankfully, Yorki only laughed, loudly at that.

“You’re a clever story teller!” Yorki said. “You should tell us a tale after dinner tonight!”

Usopp bashfully agreed, looking increasingly less at ease by the second. Yorki clapped him over the shoulder.

“Come on!” the captain said. “Let’s go get some grub.”

Yorki led them back into the mess hall, still thrumming with live music.

“Nice going,” Nami said to Usopp when she was sure the music would drown out her voice.

“I tried!” Usopp said, frowning.

Nami sighed. “Well, it might not have all been bad, at least it gives us something to think about.” She jabbed his side again, playfully this time. “Come on, story teller, let’s pretend to eat some lunch. We’ll find Brook afterwards and try to talk to him.”

* * *

Brook wasn’t hard to find after lunch. It seemed that whenever he wasn’t playing music for the crew, he was out on the deck, admiring the sky.

The sun was tipping towards the western horizon again. Sunset was still a few hours off, but Nami wondered if it would really come to pass at all.

Usopp and Nami approached him with the same hesitance they had that morning, waiting until his head tilted back, away from the sun, before actually approaching him. When they did, he didn’t look at all surprised to see them, but rather greeted them with a calm smile on his face.

“Come to collect on your request?” he asked.

“Yes,” Nami replied. “I only want to ask you a question though.”

Brook waited.

She hesitated. Usopp’s question to Yorki that morning had been poorly worded, but after giving it some thought, Nami wondered if maybe he was actually on the right track. She just needed to think of how to make it sound less threatening.

“If… you were separated from your crew, what would you do?” she finally asked.

Brook raised his eyebrows. “I would do everything in my power to be reunited with them,” he said. He answered so quickly and with so much certainty, it was almost as if he’d had the answer memorized.

“What if you couldn’t?” she asked. “What if they were sailing on a sea that you couldn’t reach?”

He seemed to understand the darker meaning behind her words, and he frowned. Frowning was the strangest expression Nami had ever seen on his face, because the Brook she knew could never frown. It made her wonder though, how many frowns might have been hidden by his skeletal smile.

“I would sail on in their name,” Brook said after a moment’s consideration. “I would do everything I could to keep their memory alive.”

“And if you found a new crew? A different flag to sail under?” she pressed on. She was hoping it might stir a memory within him, or perhaps at the very least rustle the curtain that hung between the stage of his dream and reality.

Brook’s face scrunched and he recoiled a little as if she had opened a container of foul meat. He shook his head, shaking away his disgust, and then put one gentle hand on her shoulder. His fingers, she noted, were as thing and boney as ever, but they were warm.

“That is more than just one question, my dear,” he said. Then he stepped around her. “I think I’d like some tea.”

It was clear that he was done with their conversation, and Nami felt a sense of failure and loss wash over her.

“I thought you had him,” Usopp said, stepping closer to her side.

She leaned against him, just a little. He didn’t shrug her off or complain, and she appreciated him more in that instant than she had all day. They had been bickering just a little while ago, and now things were normal again. She could count on him.

She was about to suggest they plan their next course of action when Yorki found them again.

“Usopp! Nami!” he called, waving at them from across the deck. His crew didn’t seem to notice or care, even as he began to jog towards them.

They waited for him to reach them. The expression on his face was serious but excitement lit his eyes, and for a moment he looked back and forth between them, taking them both in. After a moment, a smile spread across his face, crinkling the corners of his eyes and exposing all the teeth he had. It was a smile not at all unlike Luffy’s and Nami felt a little nostalgic, but also a little more at home.

“Brook’s a lucky guy!” he said finally.

Nami and Usopp exchanged a look, not sure of exactly what that meant.

“Anyways,” Yorki continued, not bothering to address or elaborate on his previous statement. “We have a surprise planned for dinner tonight! We’re going to be holding it on deck so be sure to come alright!” he said. “It’s in your honor, after all.”

“Our honor?” Usopp asked with a frown.

“Of course!” Yorki exclaimed. “In honor of new nakama!”

Nami and Usopp exchanged a look. Neither of them had even hinted at joining the Rumbars, so they weren’t certain about where he might have gotten that idea from. Perhaps the dream was trying to incorporate them into its scenery? To make them just another part of the fold for Brook?

“Sure,” Nami said. “We’ll be there.”

“Excellent!” He clapped them both over the shoulders. “Look forward to it! Six o’clock!”

* * *

Nami and Usopp spent the last couple of hours before dinner exploring the ship. They would have been content to stay on deck and wait there, but Yorki and a few of the others insisted they make themselves scarce. It was supposed to be a surprise to them, after all. So Nami and Usopp decided to explore instead. The Rumbar’s ship was much larger than the Sunny. It had to be, for a crew this size, but the larger ship meant there was more to see.

“Why don’t we have a mechanics room like this?” Usopp asked, bursting into a room that was far below deck and filled top to bottom with metal and machines Nami couldn’t even be bothered to identify.

“Probably because this room is bigger than our canon deck and the docking station combined,” Nami said.

“Yeah,” Usopp replied sounding distracted. He was too busy exploring the machinery inside. “These things are really outdated though.”

“I don’t know what you expect from machinery that’s over fifty years old,” Nami said while playing with a loose spring.

“It’s kinda cool,” Usopp said. He rapped his knuckles against the drum of some kind of hydraulic pump. “It’s like looking at a display from a nautical museum in person.”

Nami watched with a bemused expression as he picked over the machines. He looked like a little kid in a candy shop, like there was too much he wanted to see and not enough time in the world for him to see it. She let him go at it for a while. Though machinery didn’t particularly interest her, he at least looked amused for the time being.

“Oh, nice!” he said. His voice echoes back out to her as his head and shoulders disappeared in between two thick pipes. “I gotta tell Franky about this! Some of it might be outdated, but it’s so solidly built, it could last forever.”

“Like fifty years adrift at sea?”

She immediately regretted asking it. She had meant it as a joke, but there was really nothing funny about it.

Usopp pulled himself out from between the pipes. She expected him to reprimand her, but he only cast his eyes up to the ceiling above them and asked, “Do you think it’s safe to go back up yet?”

Nami looked up as well. They were too far down into the belly of the ship right now, but earlier the creaking of footsteps could be heard ten-fold across the deck. It was obvious whatever party the Rumbar Pirates were setting up above deck, it involved the whole crew’s contribution.

“I’m not sure,” Nami said. “He said six o’clock, but I don’t have a watch on me, and I can’t tell what time it is if they won’t let me up on deck.” She folded her arms over her chest and shot a dirty look up to the ceiling above them.

“Maybe we should check?” Usopp suggested. “If we just take a peek and they aren’t ready yet, they never have to know.”

Nami agreed to that, and together they headed back up to the deck. Thanks to Nami’s helpful guidance and good sense of direction, they were able to make it back without getting lost. Nami was impressed with the construct of the ship, however. Though it wasn’t as ingenious as the Thousand Sunny, it was a strong ship, made for sea battle. A true pirate ship through and through.

They both peeked their heads out from the doorway that led back to the deck. The Rumbar Pirates had set out a buffet-style spread of food and had moved their instruments from the mess hall to the deck. It looked as if they party they were throwing would just be a meal in the open air, not that either Usopp or Nami would complain about that.

The small cries of Laboon called the attention of a small group of the crew and they leaned over the starboard side, throwing bits of food down to the baby whale below. Yorki was among them, standing in the back of the group, looking quite serious with his arms folded over his chest. The smile on his face was genial, however, and when he spoke, there was laughter between his words.

“Alright you lot!” he shouted to the men leaning over the railing. “Stop feeding him! He needs to learn how to be dependent and not rely on or trust sailors so easily!”

“Aye sir!” one of the men cried, though he threw another scrap of chicken into the water even as he spoke.

Yorki shook his head at his crews behavior, and in doing so turned his head to the right just enough to spot Usopp and Nami peeking through the door.

“You two!” he shouted. One of his hands rested atop his hat and he looked flustered. “It’s still too early!”

“Ah let them up, Captain,” one of the men said, laughing. “They’ve been lurking below deck all this time and it’s too nice a day to waste! Besides, Brook isn’t here yet!”

“But—“ Yorki started to protest and then stopped himself, shaking his head. “Oh alright! Come on up.”

Nami and Usopp pushed through the door and emerged from the shadows of the ship’s depths. The sailor that had spoken up for them had been right, it was a nice day. The sun was heading down, about halfway towards the western horizon. As it sank, the full heat of the day turned into a gently simmer, with an almost cool breeze that drifted across the sunbaked wood of the deck and swirled around the crew that had gathered on deck. The temperature was mild and perfect, and the lighting was soft and golden. It was the perfect time of day and the perfect weather to enjoy some time above deck.

Almost the entire crew had gathered on deck. They were already picking through the food that had been spread out across three tables. There were no manners among pirates, Nami noted, though it shouldn’t have been news to her. And it wasn’t like it mattered much since she didn’t plan on attempting to eat the food anyway, but it was the thought that counted.

“I’m sorry, Captain Yorki, did you say we were waiting on Brook?” she asked curiously. “Is he okay?”

“Of course! He’s fine,” Yorki assured her. “I sent him below deck the same way I sent the two of you away, only I kept him busy with some menial chores. He should be reporting to dinner soon, and he’ll figure it out then.”

As if on cue, the door that led from the deck down to the mess hall burst open.

“An attack! We’re under attack!” Brook called, his hands tugging at his afro in panic. “Captain! We’ve been robbed! The piano is—oh.”

He stopped short, seeming to notice for the first time the arrangement on the deck.

“Oh, it’s right there,” Brook said, relieved. Seeing his piano safe, Brook looked around the deck for the first time, only noticing just then that the crew, their dinner, and the whole band set up were moved to the deck for a reason. “What are we celebrating?” he asked, his voice mild and curious.

The others on the deck had fallen silent and morose with Brook’s arrival. Nami and Usopp looked around in confusion. The other pirates seemed frozen, some with bites of food half way to their mouths, and all of their eyes were locked on the afroed man across the deck. Slowly they all stood to attention, setting aside whatever it was they had been distracting themselves with before Brook’s appearance. They all turned to Brook, giving him their undivided attention.

The silence was almost stifling.

“We’re celebrating new nakama, Brook,” Yorki said. He put an arm over Nami and Usopp’s shoulders, standing between them. “Your new nakama.”

“Oh?” Brook still looked confused. “You mean they decided to join our crew?” he asked.

“No,” Yorki said, to Nami and Usopp’s surprise. They both turned their heads too look at him, as confused as Brook was, but Yorki kept his eyes on Brook.

“I suspect you joined their crew at some point,” Yorki said.

“What?!” Brook looked even more confused now, and slightly offended. “I would never! I’m a Rumbar Pirate, through and through!”

Yorki gave Usopp and Nami a gentle squeeze. “Even if something happened to us? And we were gone forever?”

Brook stood silent, and indecipherable expression on his face.

“You’re a great man, Brook,” Yorki said.

There were several cries of consent from the rest of the crew.

“One of the greatest musician’s I will ever have the privilege of meeting,” Yorki continued.

Another cry of consent, this time with a few whistling cheers.

“Your loyalty knows no bounds, and you will always be one of our nakama!”

This time the whole crew erupted with cheers, and it took a couple of minutes for them to quiet enough for their captain to continue.

“But you need to step out of the darkness of your past, Brook. You have a new crew now, a new captain to serve. You will always be a Rumbar Pirate, Brook, but your loyalties lie with another flag too.”

Yorki’s words seemed to hang in the silence of the deck.

“Have one more party with us tonight, Brook,” Yorki said. “Send us off with a song.”

Though his eyes were still covered by the round shades, tears flowed freely from underneath them.

“Captain—“ he started.

“Not anymore, Brook,” Yorki said, releasing Nami and Usopp and stepping towards their nakama. “You have a new man to call Captain.” He stopped in front of Brook and held up his hand. “But we are still nakama, and we’re still friends.”

Brook clasped his hand, his grip so firm it shook as he latched on. But Yorki didn’t wince, instead he returned Brook’s squeezing grip with his own, and for a moment they stood, locked hand and hand that way.

“Let’s throw a party to greet the night, Brook,” Yorki said. “And to celebrate your new days together.”

Brook agreed with a broken sob, and the men on the deck let out another cheer, so loud it seemed to break the spell of silence that had settled over them, once and for all.

* * *

The party took off in full swing. Tonight, Nami and Usopp did not hold back. They didn’t hesitate to join in on the song and dance, and though food and drink held little appeal to them beyond their own imagination, they still honored the Rumbar Pirates with a drink each and every time it was asked of them.

Brook took up his place at the piano. The song of the night was “Bink’s Sake,” any rendition of it that the crew demanded. They came to him in groups, surrounded him at times, offered him drinks and pats on the back. Brook in turned played them piano, joined by his band. He matched the energy of his crew with the spirit of his music; he gave each note so much life.

The sun above them fell lower in the sky, casting longer shadows amidst the orange glow of its fading rays. No lanterns were lit to make up for the falling darkness. Nami felt the coming of night was inevitable this time. Brook, who had spent so much time in the dark, had lived in a dream world of only light. When the last of that light faded away, the dream would come to its end.

“Nami! Usopp!” Yorki called to them. “Drink with me.”

Nami and Usopp took the mugs of ale they were offered.

“Thank you for coming to get him,” Yorki said.

The sun touched the western horizon, and began to sink into the sea. The shadows on the ship grew longer and more overbearing, though the liveliness of its crew had yet to wane.

“Of course,” Usopp said. “That’s what nakama do.”

Yorki raised his glass to them. “We messed up,” he said. “We left him alone. We were the ones that failed him, I think.”

He looked into his glass. As he spoke, the shadows seemed to swallow him as they stretched across the deck.

“You couldn’t have helped it,” Nami said.

Yorki shook his head. “Brook found his way back from death to carry on our promise,” he said.

“That’s a devil’s fruit,” Usopp argued. “That’s different.”

“He still did it, and he’s still carrying the promise we made to Laboon in his heart. I wish we could have done the same for him, but we let him down.”

“Aren’t you with him now?” Usopp asked. “You found a way to be with him here even after death, right?”

Yorki gave a half smile to his drink before looking up at Usopp, and then to Nami.

“I’m happy he came to find nakama like you. Nakama who would walk into a foreign time and place just to bring him back. That’s the kind of nakama he deserves.”

The darkness was almost too much to see by now, and Yorki’s figure was fading fast into the shadows. The sun had sunk below the sea, leaving only its faintest glowing rays behind, and those were fading by the second.

Yorki raised his mug to them, the action a mere shifting of the shadows. Nonetheless, Nami and Usopp returned the gesture.

As the shadows grew and the darkness consumed everything around it, the deck grew quieter and quieter. The one by one the Rumbar Pirates were swallowed into the darkness, and their cheers and chatter faded away. The musicians continued to play, their instruments dying off one by one until only the piano remained, it’s notes almost eerie and hollow against the silent darkness.

“Yo ho ho ho,” Brook sang as he played out the note. “Yo ho ho ho…”

The last note hung in the air for a couple of seconds, and then the shadows swallowed Usopp and Nami as well, and they sank into the dark.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter comes with warnings for mentions of death, blood, and mentions of major character death, but no actual character death.

There were fresh tears on Nami’s face when she opened her eyes. She wiped at them, surprised. It was not her dream, after all. Did she really have the right to shed tears for it? But she knew the feelings conveyed by the crew of Brook’s memory were genuine, and their sentiments were real. Of course it would make her cry, the tears were inevitable.

“Are you alright, Nami-san?” Brook asked, skeletal feet coming to a stop beside her, his looming figure bowing over her.

“I’m fine,” she said, trying to wipe the remaining tear trails from her face as she pushed herself up. Usopp helped her, his hands at her shoulders, giving her the leverage she needed.

“I am sorry for the inconvenience,” Brook said. “And for not remembering you. It seemed to have slipped my mind, though I don’t have one!” He laughed, but the sound was hollow, forced.

Usopp stood up and put his hand on Brook’s arm, since his shoulder was too high to bother reaching for.

“It’s alright, Brook,” Usopp said. “We’re your nakama.”

Nami looked at Brook. His face was set in a permanent, skeletal grin, and his words fought to maintain a happy, upbeat tone. But she could see him as he was, a real man of flesh and blood, with lips that pulled down, and quivered as he cried.

“Thank you,” Brook said, his words soft.

Usopp patted his arm, and smiled.

Nami stood up and brushed off the bits of dirt and specks of peeling wallpaper and carpeting. She reached out to Brook too, her hand finding his. She could feel every bone of his fingers as they wrapped around her hand. His bones were hard, smooth, and cold, but she still kept her hand firmly in his.

“Anytime, Brook,” she said, smiling up at him.

“Nami-san…” he gazed down at her, his empty eye sockets staring unwaveringly in her direction. “May I—“

She cut him off. “If you ask to see my panties I will disassemble your body and leave you that way until Chopper finds you,” she said, an evil smile on her face.

“You make my heart ache with your lack of faith in me!” Brook cried, placing his free hand against his chest. Then he jumped a little, as if he were surprised. “Ah! I don’t have one! Yohoho!”

Nami sighed and released his hand again.

Usopp chuckled. “Hey! Only Luffy left to find right?”

“You still have not found Luffy-san?” Brook asked, becoming serious.

“No,” Nami said, “and we have a problem. He should be on the floor above you, but there is no floor above you.”

“I’m sure we’ll find him,” Usopp said. “There’s a lot of places we haven’t looked yet, there’s no point in getting worried yet!”

Usopp’s confidence made Nami feel better. He was rarely so confident about anything, he usually opted to dread the worst instead. So if he was confident they would find Luffy, she couldn’t help but to feel like they would.

“I guess you’re right,” Nami conceded.

“Besides, everyone else can help us look too! We found the whole crew; we’re almost out of here!”

“We must find our captain soon,” Brook said. There was none of the usual laughter in his voice. “A pirate crew is nothing without its captain. Let’s go, Usopp, Nami!”

They followed Brook as he marched purposefully towards the door. His strides were much longer, and carried him much further with every step. They had to half-jog to keep up. He moved across the room and jerked the door open with determination. He was already out into the hallway before they reached the door.

He was only gone for a moment, however, and then the reappeared in the doorway again, peeking in at them. They could hear his bones rattling.

“Um. I had no idea it was so frightening here,” he muttered quietly. “Perhaps we should all stick very close together?”

Usopp sighed. “You’re an eight foot tall skeleton! What could be scarier than that?”

“Usopp-san, please,” Brook pleaded.

Nami pushed past him and into the hallway beyond. Though the hotel was in poor condition, and the very air seemed to teem with hostile energy, she was more than used to the atmosphere by now. She and Usopp had seen too much and come too far today for the dusty and moldy hallways, complete with flickering candle lighting to concern her.

“Come on, Brook,” she said. “We have a lot of ground to cover so unless you want to be left behind, you better keep up.”

Brook let out an effeminate cry and immediately scrambled towards her. Usopp followed behind with an exasperated sigh. He pulled the door to Brook’s room shut behind him.

“Brook you big baby,” Usopp scoffed. “You need to take a tip from me, Usopp! Brave warrior of the sea!”

“Who was also afraid of the dark a little while ago,” Nami added with a snort.

“Nami!” Usopp whined. “There was a good reason for that!” he said.

Nami ignored him and moved on, making for the next door in the hallway. They would have to go back and try all the doors that they had missed, on the off chance Luffy would be inside one of the rooms there. It was likely he would be inside one of them. It was the only place he could be. Nami tried to ignore the feeling in her gut that told her there was something she was missing, or that something wasn’t right.

“Come on,” Nami said to Usopp and Brook. “Let’s find our idiot captain.”

* * *

They checked each of the doors on the top floor. None of the doors were locked, all of them swung open with ease. There was a nasty surprise inside one of them, however. A mummified, skeletal corpse of a human rested in the bed of the third room they checked in. Brook had refused to enter the room for a closer look, and remained by the door, bones rattling together while Nami and Usopp stepped inside.

Usopp hid behind her as they checked the bed, only his nose and eyes peeking over her. She was his human shield. She was afraid too, but her curiosity outweighed her gut instinct to close the door and run. This old corpse was what they would have become if Nami had not woken from her dream. It was a fluke, a miscalculation by the hotel, and it saved her – it saved all of them – from a horrible fate. She leaned over the poor lost soul with a mixture of fear and fascination.

“Someone who didn’t wake up,” Nami said aloud.

Usopp whined, and she could feel him trembling against her. “That’s so gross,” he said.

“That could have been us,” she said. “This guy laid down for the night here and never got up. He was content with his dreams and stayed in them until he died.”

“You don’t have to explain it,” Usopp grumbled. Nami peaked over her shoulder at him. He looked a little green in the face.

“I think the theory that we’re a food source was correct,” she said.

“Gross,” Usopp said, his nose wrinkling.

“Let’s go,” Nami said, ignoring his disgust and turning back to the door. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

They made their way back down to the floor below, the floor they had found Robin on. There was no one else in sight, though Nami hadn’t really expected there to be. None of their nakama had any reason to be up so high in the building, especially when most of what they might have needed was down on the floors below.

They tried the doors here too. All of them swung open with ease, except a few that had to be forced open due to years of rust on their hinges, but none of them were locked. A couple of the rooms were like the room upstairs, the final resting place of dried corpses. Sailors from long past that had fallen for the buildings spell. Nami didn’t investigate these bodies, they wouldn’t tell her anything she needed to know. She closed the doors on them once more, leaving their final resting places in peace.

“Something’s not right,” Nami said as they prepared to descend the steps back down to sixth floor.

“You mean aside from the rooms filled with dead bodies?” Usopp asked.

“Yes aside from that.” Nami waved him off. “As gross as it is, it’s no more than I was expecting. It’s something else.”

“What is it, Nami-san?” Brook asked.

Nami stared back down the hallway they had just come down. Most of the doors, except for those that housed the remains of previous guests, still hung open behind them.

“None of the doors were locked,” Nami said.

Usopp stared down the hallway, his confusion giving way to a kind of understanding.

“They were all locked when we came down the first time,” he explained to Brook. “Or at least a few of them were. We gave up checking the others when we found Robin’s room.” He pointed to the second to last door nearest to where they stood. “But the first three were definitely locked. You couldn’t even budge the knob.”

“I wonder why they were unlocked for us,” Brook mused. “Perhaps you found a skeleton key? Yohohoho!”

Nami and Usopp exchanged a look and sighed.

“Maybe the hotel is getting weaker?” Usopp suggested, ignoring Brook’s lame attempt at a joke.

“Maybe,” Nami said, her brows knitting as she thought. “That might be part of it, but I have a bad feeling about this.”

They made their way down to the sixth floor. They had to feel their way through the darkness to try all of the doors, a feat made even more difficult with an overgrown skeleton clinging to them. But Nami, Usopp, and Brook managed to find all the doors and investigate all the rooms. There were no corpses on this floor, but there was no Luffy either.

The fifth floor brought back the foul odor of decaying earth. The smell had not faded away at all since they had woken up Zoro here, and Nami tried to keep breathing through her mouth as they tried out doors.

The third door held the nastiest surprise for them yet.

Usopp turned the knob and gave the door a light push. The door swung wide, the hinges in surprisingly good shape for the state of the hotel. Even Usopp’s gentle shove was enough to for the wooden door to open fully, hitting the wall behind it and bouncing back.

The stench of the room was unbearable. Nami clapped both of her hands over her nose and mouth and tried not to gag. Inside the room, there was not just one corpse, but five. One was lying in the bed, another propped in an armchair, and three were sprawled across the floor. They were fresh, or at least, more fresh than the others upstairs had been. Nami was no expert on the age of corpses, but they couldn’t have been more than a couple of months old.

Only the body in the bed was drying out, and becoming withered and skeletal the way the ones upstairs were. The other four were far worse off, with wet puddles of black fluid pooling around their bodies.

Nami reached for the door, her shaking fingers scrambling for purchase. She managed to catch the knob and jerked the door closed, backing Usopp and Brook into the hallway behind her. The door slammed shut, but Nami let her momentum take her further, scrambling backwards until her back hit the opposite wall. She kept her hand over her nose and mouth, afraid to let herself breath.

Usopp retched somewhere off to her left. He moaned in disgust as he recovered. The stench of his vomit mingled unpleasantly with the foul odor of rot. Brook, who had the unfair advantage of not having to breathe, patted Usopp’s back for comfort.

“I think it is perhaps better if the two of you wait downstairs. I will check the rest of the doors in this hallway,” Brook suggested.

Nami didn’t need to be told twice. She pulled Usopp by his arm forcing him down the hallway with her. He staggered on his feet at first, steadily regaining his balance. The two of them made their way down the stairs, and collapsed onto the floor when they reached the next level.

They were silent while they waited for Brook to come down and find them. Nami breathed deeply, gratefully filling her lungs with large gulps of stagnant, dust-filled air. Usopp wiped at his nose and mouth, clearing away the evident of his being sick, and wiping his hands on the carpet below.

“What the hell was that?” he asked a few minutes later, when both of them had successfully cleared their heads of the smell.

Nami shuddered. “I think that’s what happens when you can’t wake your nakama up,” she said.

Usopp stared at her. “You mean we could have…”

Nami didn’t reply.

Brook came down a minute later, looking shaken but otherwise alright.

“Luffy-san is in none of the room’s upstairs,” he said. “And I suggest we not return to that floor again.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice,” Usopp muttered. “Come on, let’s just go.”

“I am definitely, _definitely,_ taking this place down,” Nami said again.

* * *

The next two floors were blissfully empty. Nami worried more and more about Luffy’s whereabouts, but she was grateful for the chance to recover after what she had seen upstairs. The rooms continued to open for them easily, even the ones with broken or boarded doors were easy to see inside of now, and all of them were empty.

Nothing changed until they reached the third floor.

The appearance of a pair of boots sticking out from one of the doorways brought then all too an immediate halt as they reached the third floor landing. They exchanged looks and hesitated to continue on, wary of a possible trap. Nami and Usopp knew very well that the hotel was capable of realistic looking illusions.

After a moments silent debate, the three of them carefully made their way down the hallway. The pair of boots revealed themselves to be attached to a pair of legs. The legs didn’t move as the three carefully made their way towards them. It wasn’t until Nami caught sight of a green hem that she allowed herself to relax.

“I swear to god,” she growled, marching forward with anger fueled determination. “If he is sleeping I’ll kill him.”

“Nami!”

“Nami-san!”

Usopp and Brook’s voices came out as a hiss as they tried to call her back to them with alarm. Nami knew who the boots belonged to, however, and she knew they had no reason to be afraid. On the contrary, she was angry.

“Zoro!” she snapped, kicking him in the side. She hit him just had enough to wake him from his slumber. “Why would you go back to sleep?! I’m going to raise your debt by triple if you don’t wake up right now!”

“Zoro?” Usopp frowned, craning his neck for a better look.

One dark eye peaked up at Nami.

“I wasn’t sleeping, witch,” Zoro growled. “I was meditating.”

“I don’t care what you were doing,” Nami snapped, putting her hands on her hips. “You weren’t helping us look for Luffy so you’re being useless.”

“I got lost,” Zoro grumbled. “I figured it was better to wait for someone to come along.”

Nami knelt down and pinched one of Zoro’s cheeks. “And who’s the reason you got lost, huh?”

“Nami!” Usopp called.

Nami let Zoro’s cheek go with a snap and turned her aggressive stare onto Usopp instead.

“Here, Zoro,” Usopp offered the swordsman his hand, which Zoro took to help pull himself up. Nami watched their exchange with her arms folded over her chest.

“Zoro-san, have you seen any sign of our captain anywhere?” Brook asked hopefully.

“Sorry,” Zoro said. “I got a little bit turned around, and then decided to take a break here.”

“We need to find him,” Nami said, dropping her arms back down to her sides. She let go of her annoyance for the time being. “We’ve already checked the upper floors, and we’re working our way down,” she said to Zoro.

“You two.” She pointed to Usopp and Brook. “Make sure this idiot doesn’t get lost again.”

“Hey!” Zoro protested, but Nami ignored him in favor of checking the other rooms in the hallway. All the doors gave way easily, but their captain wasn’t behind any of them.

Nami had a sneaking suspicion they wouldn’t find him this way. She didn’t bother to say it out loud, because she knew the others would vote to keep trying, and because she knew they had no reason not to. She couldn’t come up with a real reason for feeling the way she did, but it was something she knew in her gut. Wherever Luffy was, it was somewhere he’d be harder to find.

They were on their way down to the next floor when they bumped into Robin.

“Nami!” she said with surprise. “I was just coming up to find you.”

“Robin.” Nami greeted her friend with relief. She almost wanted to hug her, just to let Robin know how grateful she was for the presence of the other woman right now. There was something about Robin’s wisdom and maturity that made it easy for the crew to feel that way around her, and Nami was no exception.

But there was a seriousness in Robin’s face that kept Nami from doing that. She looked as if whatever news she had was urgent.

“You haven’t found Luffy yet?” Robin asked, looking at the small group.

“Not yet,” Nami said. “We’re looking for him now. How are the others? Is anyone else missing?”

“Everyone else is fine. Franky and Chopper are on the ship right now, and Sanji has been in the kitchen complaining about a mess,” Robin said. “I’m afraid we need to worry about Luffy now, however.”

“Why?” Nami asked. She could feel another wave of stress and panic rising in her already, although Robin hadn’t even gotten to explain what the problem was. The entire day had been so high stress that Nami could be herself being pulled too thin. Bad news only made it worse.

Robin held up a book that she had been carrying with her. The tome was leather bound and ancient, the pages stained a putrid grey from years of dust.

“A guest book, I believe,” Robin said, letting the book fall open to a random, hand-written page. “It seems one of the hotels previous guests had the foresight to leave some notes, though his efforts were mostly wasted.” She sighed. “I found it in the back of the library.”

Nami looked at the page in Robin’s hands. It was filled with fanciful script, and seemed to be in a language Nami had never seen before.

“It talked about a man’s struggles with the hotel. It seems he, like you, woke up at the wrong time. His crew was trapped here too, just as we were. His journey proceeded very much like yours,” she said, looking up from the page at Nami and Usopp. “He went to wake his nakama, one by one, gathering them as he went.”

Robin paused.

“What happened?” Usopp asked, his voice shaking.

Robin smiled. “I’m not sure. His last entry is time stamped right before nightfall, he was going up to the fifth floor to look for more of his crew there, and that’s the last entry he made. I’d like to think that they all made it safely out of the hotel and had no need to come back for this old book, but…”

“But?” Brook urged her on.

“But I think it’s more than likely that something happens after nightfall. Perhaps you will be fully sealed into your dream, and any others will be as well. I think it’s very likely they all perished.”

Nami’s memory flashed back to the collection of bodies locked away in the fifth floor.

“Yeah,” Nami said, hollow voiced. She swallowed, though her mouth was dry. “They did.”

Usopp seemed to put those same pieces of the puzzle together in his mind, and the blood drained from his face.

Nami shook her head, shaking away the lingering visions laying in black puddles of rot. “What time is it now, Robin?” Nami asked.

“A little before six,” Robin announced, the smile still on her face. “We don’t have much time before our captain may be lost to us forever.

Nami felt her stomach sink. She looked up at the large window above the stairs. The sky, still covered in thick, dark clouds, only grew darker.

“We still have the next two floors to check,” Nami said.

“Oh, no, I’ve already taken the liberty of checking the guest rooms below,” Robin said. “I was hoping perhaps he would be somewhere upstairs.”

“He’s not,” Usopp said. “We’ve checked every room.”

“Oh my,” Robin said, her brow knitting with the slightest crease of worry. “Well I know that he is not in the library, entrance hall, dining area, or the kitchen.”

They stood in silence for a long minute, their small group staring at Robin, who leveled her stare back at them.

“Perhaps there is any attic…?” she tried.

Nami, Usopp, and Brook shook their heads.

Nami frowned, tapping her finger against her lips. “What do you think Luffy dreams about?” she asked.

“Isn’t that easy?” Usopp said. “Pirate king.”

“After that,” Zoro said, speaking up for the first time. “I mean, you don’t really think Luffy is going to stop after he’s the pirate king, do you? He’ll just go off in search of another adventure.”

Robin chuckled. “It does seem like it would be very difficult to create a dream big enough to contain our captain.”

Nami felt the bottom of her stomach drop out, the weight of a crashing realization falling down on her as the missing pieces fell into place and revealed the big picture. The unlocked doors and their missing captain… it all pieced into a frightening reality.

“You couldn’t,” Nami said. “Luffy would never stay asleep if you tried to trap him in just one dream… but in a _nightmare._ ”

She was looking at Robin directly, and so Robin’s face was the first she saw make the horrible realization. The archaeologists wide eyes and stunned expression on her usually calm and stoic face only made the horror that much more real for Nami.

“The doors that were locked are suddenly unlocked, and the hotel hasn’t even tried to stop us from looking…” Nami said, speaking without break as she put together the clues. “It doesn’t need to, and it’s not expending anymore energy. It’s targeting that energy towards something else, because if it can just make it until nightfall then…”

“Then it can keep Luffy, a limitless source of energy, to itself,” Usopp finished his eyes wide with terror. “Oh man! We have to find Luffy _right now_.”

“But where?” Zoro asked. “If you guys already checked everywhere, where is he?” His arms were folded over his chest, and he looked calm and collected, but Nami could see a kind of panic even in Zoro’s eyes.

She wracked her brain, trying to come up with an idea of a place Luffy could be hidden, somewhere safe that he could be locked away until the night came and the hotel could claim him forever. Some place it could keep him locked in darkness, away from the light of his friends dream.

Some place… dark…

“Is there a basement?” Nami asked, her hand clutching the railing to keep herself from tripping down the steps. Her sense of urgency screamed for her body to move, regardless of the fact that she had no destination.

“I haven’t seen one,” Robin said, moving aside as Nami lurched forward, and falling into place behind her.

“Maybe,” Nami said. “But you weren’t looking for one either, so it might have slipped your notice.” She twisted around with the stairs banister, moving down the next flight. She could hear the footsteps of her nakama as they filed down after her, but she didn’t turn to check on them.

“And that would be the point,” she continued. “Some place nondescript that we wouldn’t think to look. Some place we’d pass by without thought until it was too late.”

Nami hit the first floor landing at a run. She had to skirt around pieces of broken furniture, and the threat of tripping was real, but she didn’t slow her pace. She followed the length of the hall, the others right behind her.

She skidded to a stop when she reached the main foyer. It was so familiar from their arrival; nothing looked out of place or changed. The doorway across from where she stood led to the dining hall, and through a doorway beyond that would be the kitchen. She could see Sanji setting out some silverware onto the grand dining table, which looked more worn and scuffed up than she remembered it.

“Ah, Nami-swan! Robin-chwan!” Sanji cooed, spying their party through the doorway. “You’re just in time. The kitchen was in a deplorable state, but I did manage to find some canned ingredients. I’ve made you a lovely stew to—“

“Not now, Sanji-kun,” Nami said, her sharp voice cutting his off. “We have to find Luffy.”

“You haven’t found Luffy?” Sanji wiped off his hands with a towel that hung from his belt, and met them in the foyer. “What’s wrong?” His flirtatious banter and loving coos were done and over with the moment he heard the news..

“Luffy’s trapped, the hotel is probably holding him in some kind of nightmare, and if we can’t find him before nightfall, he’ll be trapped forever,” Nami explained, giving him the quick, short-hand version of their horrible news. She wasn’t even sure he would understand her with how quickly she spoke, but she guessed that he did if his face was anything to go by.

Sanji’s one blue eye widened. He opened his mouth to ask another question, but at that moment the front door to the hotel swung open. A rush of cold, fresh sea air flew in with it, and rain sprinkled onto the rotting hardwood flooring at the entrance.

“The Sunny is SUPER ready for sailing!” Franky cried, ducking in through the doorway.

“Super ready to go!” Chopper repeated, saluting from his place on Franky’s shoulders.

They beamed down at their nakama as they closed the door again behind them.

“Are we ready to make way?” Franky asked.

“We need to find Luffy,” Nami said. Her words came out so fast they tripped over themselves. “He’d trapped and if we don’t get to him before nightfall he’ll stay that way forever and there’s a good chance he’s stuck in his nightmares and—“

The rest of her explanation died immediately as she her eyes caught something off to her left. She wasn’t sure why she turned that way. All of her nakama were together now, and she knew not to expect them to emerge from anywhere else, but something about her wild panic and urgency made her think that maybe they would, and her eyes had looked that way as if she expected someone.

There was nothing there except for an old, broken and moldy couch and accompanying armchairs. She remembered the moment of their arrival, how nice and put together the room had look. It was in shambles now, the furniture destroyed, molding and torn. The coat rack that had sat between the two chairs was leaning precariously on its side, two of its legs broken. It was supported in place only by the armchairs next to it. A couple of coats, moth eaten and dust covered – long, long forgotten by their original owners – hung from the rack. And behind the coat rack, hidden mostly by the material of the coats and the armchairs on either side of it, was a door.

Nami stepped towards it. She wouldn’t allow herself to be too hopeful. The door’s placement and surroundings, along with its size and plain appearance, suggested that it was nothing more than an old coat closet. She would probably open the door and find it full of old coats and maybe a few moths.

She pushed the coat rack aside, allowing it to fall, unsupported, and land with _whump_ , creating a mushroom cloud of dust. She pushed the chairs away. To her surprise, her nakama helped her. Robin’s many hands sprouted from the floor, pulling the fallen coat rack out of the way. Zoro and Usopp pulled on one chair, while Franky tugged at the other, making a wider place between the two chairs, giving them room to open the door.

Nami turned back to look at them, one hand resting on the handle.

“It might just be a coat closet,” she said. “But if it’s not… I don’t know what we’ll find down there. Keep together, alright?”

“Aye, sis!” Franky said.

“Of course, Nami,” Robin said, smiling.

“What do you take us for, idiots?” Zoro asked.

Sanji kicked him. “I don’t want to hear that from a little lost moss-brain.”

“Guys,” Usopp chastised them with a frown.

“Aye aye, Nami!” Chopper saluted again.

“Yohoho!” Brook laughed.

Nami looked around at her nakama, taking in their various states of wellbeing. Most of them were without weapons, and looked tired. They had all woken from dreams that were paradises compared to their realities. They had lost love ones, said goodbye all over again to people that they had never wanted to lose in the first place. But the Straw Hat Pirates didn’t look the least bit deterred. They looked determined, even a little _excited._

“Okay,” Nami said with a determined nod, turning back to the door in front of her. She twisted the knob, and it turned easily in her hand. “Here we go.”

She pulled the door open, it creaked slowly outward, exposing the top of a rickety old stairwell, and a deep black abyss. The darkness seemed to glare at them from the opening of the doorway, daring them with threats of danger and possibly death to step inside.

But there was something else in the blackness, something that cut through the dark to find its way to them. A sound, one that sounded so distant, but could cut through anything to reach their hearts.

“NAAAMIIII,” a voice wailed. It was Luffy’s voice, but it sounded torn, damaged and ruined from overused. “SANJIIII!”

Sanji took a step forward, his fists clenching at his sides, his teeth bared and grinding together.

Luffy’s voice continued to call out to them, each one by one. The sound was painful, heartbreaking.

Nami took her first step into the blackness. She threw caution to the wind to move forward, and she was not the only one. Usopp was immediately at her side, the others scrambling into the darkness behind him. The stairs were too narrow for them to all descend at once, but they filed down one right after another, following each other’s steps closely as they worked their way down.

They might have been walking into danger and peril for all they knew, but they were willing to take that risk. Their captain needed them.

* * *

The darkness was thick and impenetrable. The light from the doorway at the tops of the steps was swallowed quickly by the inky blackness. They continued down, down, down, deep into the depths of what very well might have been hell. Nami couldn’t even imagine the rock that the hotel sat on had this much space hallowed into it. Perhaps it was part of the hotels illusion.

“ROBIIIIN!” Luffy’s voice tore through the darkness. It was closer now, getting closer by the second, though they still could not see their captain in the dark. “CHOOPPERRR!”

The little reindeer sniffled, but other than that, their group was quiet. They descended the step as a silent unit, the tension thick between them.

Nami’s sandals clacked against something other than wood. Her foot reached out, seeking out the next step downwards, but landed back on level ground. She tapped her toes experimentally. The sound of her shoe hitting stone seemed to echo endlessly. She moved further from the base of the steps, allowing the others to fan out behind her.

A light came on in the dark. A single, weak beam shined down from above, illuminating a figure that stood at the base of the steps, her posture straight, and her disturbingly wide smile stretched open.

“You’re… Elizabeth,” Nami recalled. It was the strange hostess from before, the one that had escorted them to their rooms and sealed their fates.

Elizabeth’s head turned towards her. The action was strange. Her neck was too stiff, her head seeming to creak on a pivot. It was inhuman.

“I am,” Elizabeth said to Nami. “It’s kind of you to remember.”

“Oi,” Zoro interrupted. Nami could head the distinct sound of one of his swords popping out and sliding free of its sheath. The metal reflected the spotlight above, shining cold in the dark. “Where is our captain?”

Elizabeth’s head creaked back towards him, the same inhuman stiffness moving it.

“ZOROOO!” Luffy called. They could hear him more clearly now, meaning they could also hear the broken sobbing in his voice as he called to them.

“Can’t you hear him?” Elizabeth asked.

Zoro’s sword point hovered steady just below her chin.

“UUUSOPP!”

Usopp grit his teeth, and every muscle in his body tensed and coiled. Nami grabbed his shoulder, almost afraid that he would take off into the dark without them.

“I asked you a question,” Zoro said, his voice dangerous. He was ready to kill, that much was obvious.

Elizabeth’s smile fell. Without it, her face seemed to hang, almost droop down.

“We won’t be giving him to you so easily,” she said. “You might have found it easy to rouse people from their fantasies, but you’ll find it much harder to wake someone from their nightmares.” Her head turned back to Usopp and Nami as she spoke. “Time works against you. I wonder: can you really save him?”

Nami snapped her gaze away as Zoro’s sword swung clean and straight. Elizabeth’s body crumpled, her head rolling off somewhere into the darkness. There was no blood.

“Stupid question,” Zoro scoffed. “Of course we can.”

Sanji’s lighter snapped to life, casting his face in harsh light and shadow for a moment as he lit his cigarette. “Right for once, marimo.”

The light above Elizabeth’s body went out with a click. The Straw Hats were plunged into darkness once more.

“I guess that’s our invite,” Franky said.

“What if we get separated?” Chopper asked. “It’s too dark to see.”

“We don’t have to worry about that, Chopper,” Sanji said. “We’re all heading towards the same place, right?”

“Yeah,” Zoro said. “Even if we drift apart, we’ll meet back up soon.”

“FRAANKYYY!” Luffy’s voice bellowed in the darkness.

“That’s my cue!” Franky said.

“BROOOOK!”

“I’m coming, Luffy-san,” Brook said with quiet determination.

“Let’s go,” Robin said. “I’m eager to hurt someone.”

Usopp laced his fingers with Nami’s. His hand was shaking. Nami looked in his direction in the dark, but could only make out the faintest outline of his figure. She knew it wasn’t fear that made him tremble that way. She knew if she could see his face, she would see eyes full of hate and rage and a mouth set in a disgusted scowl.

“Don’t let go of me,” he said through gritted teeth.

Nami squeezed his hand with hers in reassurance.

The Straw Hats stepped forward into the darkness together. The moment they stepped forward, the last bit of light that the doorway provided faded into nothing, and they were cast into complete blackness. It was impossible even to tell which way was up, let alone how close or far they were from each other, or what lie ahead of them.

Nami and Usopp walked straight forward, or so if felt. Nami had never felt so lost, completely without bearings or reference of direction. She could heard her nakama’s feet moving forward alongside of her, but the further they went, the more the sounds faded away. The footsteps quieted one by one, until only her own and Usopp’s were left. Luffy’s cries fell silent as well, and Nami and Usopp were stuck in complete and total silence.

“Do you think we went the wrong way?” Usopp asked. He spoke softly, but in the silence his words seemed to echo, and she jumped.

“No,” she said, taking a deep breath. The dark, her lost sense of direction, and the deafening silence that seemed to push in on them from all sides, made her uneasy. But she could feel the solidity of Usopp’s hand in hers, and she had to remember that she was not alone.

“No,” she said again. “I think this is part of the hotel’s trick. Elizabeth said they wouldn’t let us get to him so easily. I’m sure they’ll try to pray on our weaknesses, make us give up.”

“This hotel doesn’t know us very well,” Usopp chuckled. “When have we ever given up?”

Nami smiled, though she knew her expression would be lost in the dark. “We declared war on the world government, this hotel is nothing.”

They kept moving forward. The darkness that surrounded them refused to relent, but Nami and Usopp were determined to prove their stubbornness was more than the hotel could handle. They walked forward with purpose, refusing to let the dark frighten them. Nami let go of her attachment to bearings and direction, just this once, and allowed herself to move forward without them.

Ahead, a light clicked on in the darkness. It was weak and dim, like the light that had shined down on Elizabeth before. It spotlighted something ahead of them, but from this distance, Usopp and Nami couldn’t make it out.

They didn’t hesitate to move toward the light. Their options were to move forwards and face what was ahead or to retreat back into the darkness. Nami and Usopp would not retreat.

As they approached, they could make out something lying in a heap below the ray of light. Nami feared the worst as she approached it, but she wouldn’t stop. She would have to face this for Luffy. She _would_ face anything this damn hotel threw at her, for Luffy.

“NAAMIIII!” Luffy screamed again. His voice was definitely closer now, and it tore through the darkness and through Nami’s heart like an arrow. It was such a horrible, desperate cry. It was a cry she had never heard, could not even imagine, coming from Luffy.

They had reached the beam of light, and Nami stared down at the body under the spotlight. Her body. Covered in blood, eyes wide and glassy, unseeing.

“What the hell,” Usopp muttered. His grip on her hand tightened, and he pulled her back away from the replica of her body as if her proximity might make the illusion a reality.

“Is that supposed to scare us?” Usopp asked with false bravado, though his voice trembled.

“Not us,” Nami said, her voice thick with emotion she was struggling to cage, fury being the leader of the pack. “Luffy.”

It was strange to see herself as a corpse, but that didn’t upset her as much as she thought it would. What really upset her was that this hotel would create such a horrible image in order to torment her friend. Her captain.

“USOOOPP!”

The spotlight illuminating Nami’s body clicked off as they passed it, and another clicked on, some distance ahead. Nami already thought she knew what she would find there. In fact, she had no doubt. She and Usopp walked towards it. She could see the mess of curly hair, tangled, congealed in blood, and pasted to the floor below it.

They approached Usopp’s prone figure. He looked worse than Nami’s had, there was more blood, one half of his face was unrecognizable under swelling and bruising. One eye was swollen shut, the other stared at them, unblinking.

Usopp shuddered and it was Nami’s turn to pull him away. They passed by the fake body, refusing to look too closely at it. As they walked, the light clicked off again, and for a moment things were mercifully dark. Usopp swore, though Nami knew that had nothing to do with the darkness. She could feel his hand in hers, trembling with both rage and unease. She couldn’t blame him, but she kept them moving forward.

A loud, keening wail broke the silence. It was Luffy. His screams turned to desperate moans, please for help reaching out to them in the darkness. The sound was more unnerving than the sight of her own corpse, if Nami were being honest. It had the same effect as a punch to her gut.

“We’re coming, Luffy,” she said into the dark. She knew it was unlikely that her voice would carry to Luffy. Even if he were close enough to hear it, the hotel would never let it reach him. But she said it anyway. It was her promise, and whether she was making that promise to him or to the dark, it didn’t matter.

“Yeah,” Usopp said, and his voice was clear, free of the tremors of fear or anger. “We’re on our way, Luffy!” he shouted.

The wailing and sobbing didn’t stop, but neither did Nami or Usopp.

Three more spotlights clicked on; one to their immediate left, one directly in front of them, and one in front and slightly to the right. Nami glanced to their left. Franky’s hulking figure lay in the light, his mechanical limbs twisted into mangled scrap metal. His favorite sunglasses were pushed down over his eyes, but broken in places, revealing smashed metallic orbs beneath.

Nami turned away, she didn’t need to see anymore.

The other two spotlights were much the same. Chopper was ahead of them, lying peacefully with his eyes closed. He looked like he could be resting save for the broken antler and the blood matting his fur. Robin was to the right, lying face down on the ground, one of her arms twisted the wrong way, her body still and unmoving.

The wailing grew louder. They could hear Luffy swearing and cursing, calling for them, calling names they didn’t recognize, and sobbing.

More lights clicked on, illuminating spaces around them, each light beaming down on a different body. Luffy’s Grandpa looking so frail in his death; Luffy’s brother, Ace, bleeding out from a hole in his chest; a little blond boy with a top hat and a missing tooth, soaked with water and half burned; a large, hulking woman with untamed red curls, her face sallow and gaunt. There was the rest of their crew sprawled out around them. Zoro with a slice across his chest too deep to heal; Sanji with blood matting his hair to his scalp; Brook, his bones crushed and scattered.

Nami and Usopp tried to avoid looking as more lights clicked on still. Bon Clay, the member of Baroque Works that had helped them escape from the navy in Alabasta, lay solidified in a purple slime. Keimi, their mermaid friend, with burn marks around her neck. The fishman, Jinbe, face down and bleeding from his stomach.

The spotlights clicked on one by one, filling the blackness with dots of light. There were so many, they surrounded Nami and Usopp and stretched out into the endless abyss, becoming tiny pinpricks in the distance. Under each of the lights was a figure, all of them Luffy’s friends or family. Nami could only imagine the hell Luffy had been put through, being presented each of their bodies and thinking they were real, thinking he had failed everyone he loved.

Nami turned her glare on her surroundings. Her eyes seeking out a victim for her anger. She had never wanted to hurt something so much, but she could feel bitter rage coursing through her blood stream, lighting a fire in her insides. She wouldn’t let anyone get away with this.

Her eyes caught a pattern in the spotlights. In some places the lights were grouped in close bunches, while in others were more sparsely places. It created small openings into the darkness beyond where they stood.

She wasn’t sure if what she was seeing meant anything. It was probably just a coincidence. The spotlights didn’t follow any kind of real pattern, so things like that were bound to happen. Nami’s mind was so eager for a way forward towards Luffy that she might just have imagined that she was looking at something with potential, but her eyes remained trained on one particular space between the lights, one that seemed to continue on for quite a ways before another light ended the path.

She took a step towards it. Her hand, still in Usopp’s, fell behind her until the slight tug on his arm alerted Usopp to what was happening.

“Nami?” he asked, the frown evident in his voice. “Where are we going?”

Nami walked forward, stepping between two columns of light, taking the path of darkness that ran between them.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I just have a feeling we need to go this way.” She couldn’t properly explain herself without sounding stupid. Her logic sounded flawed even to her own ears, so to Usopp it would sound even more so. Something told her she there was a pattern here though. The same intuition she’d learned to trust, built by years of practice in navigating, was telling her she was going the right way.

She continued down the dark path, lights flashing by periodically on either side of her. Usopp kept up with her, not arguing or asking questions. She was so thankful for him. He trusted her enough to let her lead without question, and she could not be more grateful for anything.

They came to a stop where the single spotlight blocked their forward path. Nami looked left and then right. Both ways had gaps of darkness surrounded by lights, and it took Nami almost a full minute to decide which direction their path lay down. The way to the right had fewer lights that cut through the darkness beyond, as if the darkness had slithered in between them, leaving gouges of space in the beams.

She took them right, and continued to follow the darkness.

It was such a strange turn of natural order. Humans were creatures of light. Their night vision was poor. They depended on the sun for food, for warmth, and for a sense of happiness. Sailors especially valued the light. They relied heavily on the sun, the moon, and the stars for navigation. Following a path of darkness, avoiding the light, went against the very basis of Nami’s being. Of course, the hotel had already proven it had a warped sense of logic, so that should have been a given.

Besides, it only made sense to plunge into the deepest darkness they could find if they wanted to find the heart of the nightmare.

As Nami and Usopp walked through the dark, they could hear Luffy’s moaning and crying getting louder and louder. It seemed to come from many places at once; from behind them, or in front of them, or sometimes from the left or right. Once, Usopp almost stepped off the path that Nami had been following, because Luffy’s cries seemed to be coming from somewhere just to their left.

Nami held his hand fast and refused to let him go.

“It’s a trick,” she said, her voice firm. “He’s not over there.”

“How do you know?” he asked. He looked so distressed, and Nami couldn’t blame him. Their captain’s screams and cries were upsetting for her too. Unlike Usopp, however,  she had a kind of goal, one he would have to know about if he was going to keep following her when their captain sounded like he was _right there_.

She sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know for sure.” She could see the argument about to leave his lips and she put one hand up to stop him. “But I have a good feeling that this is right.”

She turned, gesturing to the path ahead of them. “Look at the way the lights are laid out. See how there are more over there, but almost none going this way?” She pointed at each area as she spoke. “See how were in a kind of tunnel created by the lights?”

Usopp squinted into the dark, looking everywhere she pointed, but no sense of realization seemed to dawn on him.

“It makes a kind of a path,” she said, hoping it would help him make sense of what she was getting at.

Usopp frowned, staring at the lights around them, and then sighed. “Nami, I think it’s just a coincidence,” he said.

“Maybe,” Nami said, conceding to the possibility. In truth, she wasn’t sure if she was on to something or not, and she knew there was a real possibility this was all a trick of her eyes. “But I really, _really_ think it means something.”

He stared at her, his eyes searching hers even in the dark.

“Besides,” she added with a lopsided grin. “Have I ever steered us the wrong way before?”

Usopp snorted. The tight unease in his eyes seemed to relax with the sound. “Well, you did steer us towards this damn hotel in the first place.”

“Excuse you,” she said. “I steered us towards _land_. That’s my job.”

Usopp laughed, and though the sound was short and hollow, it echoed in the silence and almost sounded happy. When his laughter died down, he looked out across the endless span of spotlights again. They had gotten very good at ignoring what was beneath their rays. Knowing the death around them was a horrible illusion helped.

He cast one more look to the left, where Luffy’s crying sounded so impossibly close.

“Okay,” he said finally. “I trust you, oh wise and wonderful queen of navigation.”

“Ooh, I like that,” she said, smiling.

They continued forward. Nami guided them down the dark path as best she could, left, right, and then left again, until there was nothing but a straight path before them.

“This basement cannot be this big,” Usopp muttered.

“No,” Nami said. “I think we’ve stepped into a dream world when we came through the door. This is all part of Luffy’s nightmare.”

Usopp clicked his tongue in frustration. Nami knew how he felt. She didn’t say anything, though she did squeeze his fingers lightly with her own and picked up the pace, making them walk a little faster.

They were close now. Nami didn’t know how she knew it. She knew it the same way that she knew the darkest path was the right one to take. It was something deep and instinctual, and she trusted it completely.

The path they were on reached a long, straight stretch. At the end of the path was a single spotlight. It wasn’t the first time their path had changed direction because a spotlight stood in the way, but this one seemed different. There was something about this long stretch of darkness with only a single light in the way that seemed different, and the further they went towards the light, the more Nami felt as if there was something different about the light itself.

She blinked, trying to clear her vision as best she could. The endless darkness spotted only with a smattering of bright beams of light could easily trick her eyes into seeing something that wasn’t there. No matter how many times she blinked, however, there was definitely something different about the spotlight ahead.

The body lit beneath it was moving.

As soon as that horrible realization hit her, the lights, all of them, went out. All the bodies that had been illuminated around them were swallowed back into the darkness. All except for one. One single light remained shining on one single body ahead of them, one that writhed and twisted on the ground.

“Luffy,” Nami breathed.

Her hand almost slipped from Usopp’s as she ran forward, but he caught the tips of her fingers just in time, and hastened his pace to keep up. She could tell by the pressure of his grip that he could see Luffy too, and she could practically feel the height of his emotions rolling off him.

Luffy’s twisting and curling figure moved in perfect sync with the whimpers and sobs that were still reverberating throughout the darkness. It twisted something horrible into Nami’s gut. Luffy had seen her at her absolute worse, and he’d been so strong. To see him, the man that had stood so strong for her when she felt like her entire world was falling apart, sobbing on the ground, stirred something inside of her. It was a horrible, nasty mixture of emotion, with only one clear thought pronounced among the tangle:

She had to reach Luffy. She had to be there.

Their steps only slowed when they were a few feet from him. Luffy was collapsed onto his knees, bent forward, his head pressed against the ground. His hands were balled into fists, pounding against the stone floor in an act of madness and frustration. His fingers uncurled, reaching out and clawing at the air, the ground, anything in reach.

All of this was accompanied by the most pained sounding moans and whimpers Nami had ever heard.

“No, no, no, no,” Luffy cried. “No. Please.”

Nami could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Her heart felt broken, though she knew the pain she felt was nothing compared to what Luffy had been put through.

She dropped Usopp’s hand. He let her go without a fight. His stare was settled unwavering on his captain, his expression blank. His were eyes glazed and unresponsive. Nami knew he did not feel as unaffected as he looked, but she didn’t take the time to check on him.

“Luffy,” she called out, taking a few steps towards him.

His head snapped up at the sound of her voice, his eyes were wide, and stared at her with wild disbelief.

“Nami!” he shouted.

“Yeah,” Nami said, taking another few steps forward. “I’m here, Luffy.”

“NO!” he screamed, surprising her enough to make her stop in her tracks.

He scrambled away from her, stopping only when he was at the very edge of the circle of light that the spotlight above provided. Even then, he slapped his hands over his ears, and rocked forward and backwards.

“No!” he continued to shout. “No! Nami, no! Not again! PLEASE. Not again!”

Nami could feel hot tears run down her face. She stood there, useless, unsure of how to help him, unable to comfort him. She stared at him, meeting his wild, desperate eyes with her own for only a moment before he slammed his face against the ground and tried not to see her.

Usopp stepped forward next to her. He didn’t speak, he didn’t try to call out to Luffy, thought he probably wanted to. He just watched their captain sob into the ground.

“What did they do to him?” Usopp asked, horror mingling in his words.

The sound of Usopp’s voice seemed to reach Luffy’s ears despite his best efforts to trap out sound.

“USOPP!” Luffy’s eyes widened again, searching wildly until they found his friend’s. “NO. I’m so sorry. Please! I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t mean it! Please, no!” His screams turned to sobs and he fell forward again, begging and crying for forgiveness.

Usopp grimaced and his hands balled into fists. Nami could see the tendons in his arms tense with such ferocity that they shook. But just like Nami, he didn’t know how to proceed forward, he didn’t know if he would help or hurt more by approaching Luffy. So, like Nami, he held his ground.

“What’s wrong with Luffy?” a small voice asked as Chopper appeared from the darkness.

“CHOPPER!” Luffy’s voice broke, splintering into some fragmented whine. “No, no! Not Chopper! Please!”

“Luffy…” Tears appeared in Chopper’s eyes immediately.

“It will be okay, Chopper,” Robin said, her voice gentle and soothing despite the fact that Luffy was now screaming at her.

“PLEASE,” he screamed to her. “Please don’t! I tried! I just wanted to help you!”

Despite her calm assurance to the little doctor, Robin’s eyes narrowed on her captain. It was not a glare intended for him, Nami realized, but Robin trying to contain her emotions. She was trying to be strong, to keep Nami, Usopp, and Chopper calm, but Luffy’s words had the same effect on her as they did on the rest of them.

“I told you I knew where I was going,” Zoro’s voice snapped out as he appeared from the darkness.

“You took a lucky stab in the dark,” Sanji countered, stepping out right behind him. He tapped the sole of his shoe against the hilt of one of Zoro’s swords. “Literally.”

“Zoro!” The name came out broken and disjointed as Luffy pounded his head against the hard floor beneath him. Nami knew he couldn’t do too much damage thanks to his rubber bones, but the action made her wince.

“No, no! Zoro? Why?”

One of Zoro’s hands gripped the hilt of his sword so hard that his knuckles turned white. He didn’t unsheathe them though. This was not the kind of enemy he could fight with swords.

“SANJI!” Luffy sobbed. Fat tears rolled down his face, his eyes red and swollen from them. They landed with soft plops onto the ground beneath him. “It’s my fault. I did this. Please. I know, please just stop.” He pulled as his hair with clawed fingers. “Please,” he sobbed.

Brook materialized from the blackness next to Sanji. He didn’t speak though his eyeless sockets were twisted into an angry scowl. Nami had rarely seen Brook angry, and the effect was really quite terrifying.

“Brook.” The name came out between heavy sobs. “I tried. I tried!”

Brook’s teeth ground together and his skeletal hands curled into tight fists.

“Luffy?!” Franky called stumbling into view. He managed to catch his balance and right himself, his eyes scanning the scene before him. “Hey, bro, it’s okay—“

“FRANKY.” Luffy’s fists pounded the floor again. “WHY? I failed! I know! Please stop this.”

Franky’s face fell into a passive frown.

“Luffy,” Nami tried again. “You didn’t fail anything.”

“I couldn’t save you,” Luffy sobbed. He folded his arms across his chest, as if he was holding himself together to keep from falling into pieces. He leaned forward, head connecting to the ground again. It stayed planted there as he spoke.

“I don’t want to watch you die again. I don’t want to watch any of them die again…” His words became incoherent, lost as he sobbed uncontrollably.

The horrible truth behind the corpses Nami and Usopp had seen on their way here stabbed through Nami like a hot knife. Luffy had watched them all die, probably more than once. He had tried everything he could, but he hadn’t been able to save them. All of his friends, his brother, his crew. He had been made to watch them all die without being able to do anything to save them.

The Straw Hats stood in front of their captain as he pleaded with them for mercy and forgiveness. All of them were shaken and unnerved by their captain’s behavior, angry about the state the hotel had put them into, and unsure of what to do to help him. Zoro clenched his teeth as Luffy wailed. Sanji stamped out the butt of his cigarette, grinding it so hard into the ground that the stone beneath his feel cracked. Chopper wiped at tears that fell from his eyes and clung to his fur. Usopp’s fists never relaxed, and Brook’s angry glare only grew more pronounced. Robin looked on, her face expressionless save for her narrowed eyes. Franky kept popping the joints of his mechanical fingers.

Nami stepped forward. She could feel the others watching her, their eyes raking over her figure as they waited to see what she was planning. But she didn’t have a plan. Her feet moved of their own accord, carrying her forward towards Luffy, because from the moment she had heard him call her name from the darkness all she had ever wanted to do was reach him.

Luffy’s eyes were wide with terror as she approached.

“Nami, please,” he said, his voice breaking in pitch from overuse. “Please, don’t. I tried. Not again.”

“Luffy.” She dropped to her knees before him. He tried to scramble away, but he didn’t seem to be able to push himself out beyond the circle of light. She moved forward and reached him easily. She put her hands on either side of his face. She could feel the hot trails of tears on his cheeks, and she wiped at them with her thumbs.

“I’m right here,” she said. “You didn’t fail me, and you didn’t lose me. I’m right here.”

Luffy’s eyes stared at her, but they remained wide and hysterical. Nami didn’t release him though. She would hold him as long as if took for him to understand.

“Luffy-san.”

Brook startled them both with his approach. He kneeled down next to Nami, and placed one skeletal hand on Luffy’s shoulder.

“Our captain,” Brook said, “can only fail us if he dies without trying.”

Fresh tears welled in Luffy’s eyes.

Usopp sat down on Nami’s other side. His hand reached out for Luffy’s. Luffy tried to skirt his fingers away from Usopp’s touch but Usopp caught them and curled them into a fist, then pressed that fist against his own.

“Why the hell would you apologize to me, you idiot?” Usopp said, his voice trembling. “I still owe you.”

Zoro sat down next to Usopp, sliding his swords off his hip and leaning them against his shoulder. When he was settled in and looking quite comfortable, he leaned forward and flicked Luffy in the forehead.

“Zoro!” Nami shrieked.

“Idiot,” Zoro snorted. “He really thinks he let us down.”

Sanji leaned over Zoro, much to the swordsman’s annoyance, and tugged on Luffy’s ear. The rubbery skin stretched in his hand.

“Moron,” Sanji scoffed, talking around his cigarette. “Who do you think forced us all together?”

Luffy’s bottom lip quivered, and tears rolled down over Nami’s hands, but the wild, manic look was gone from his eye. He was looking at them each in turn, wonderment in his expression.

“Luffy bro.” Franky kneeled down next to Brook and gave Luffy a pat on the back. One that was too hard, maybe, because it jostled all of Luffy’s body. “You don’t need to worry about us so much, right? We’re super good at taking care of ourselves.”

Chopper squeezed between Zoro and Usopp and put both of his hooves on Luffy’s legs.

“Luffy,” he said, his voice nasally and thick as tears and snot continued to poor down his face. “We’re sorry we were so late.”

“Franky, Chopper…” Luffy looked at them both as if he were seeing them for the first time. “Everyone… is okay.”

An arm sprouted up from his back, its hand reaching up to caress his hair.

“We’re all fine, Luffy,” Robin said. “Though we really need you to wake up now.” She glanced at a watch on her wrist. Nami had completely forgotten the time limit, but judging by Robin’s peaceful smile, they had made it just in time.

“Wake up?” Luffy repeated. He looked dazed and confused. “This is… a dream?”

“Yeah, Luffy,” Nami said. “This had all been one bad dream.”

“Oh.” Luffy stared at her, his face blank for a moment before an impossibly wide, one-of-a-kind Luffy smile stretched across it. “Then everyone’s okay?”

“Yep,” Usopp said. “We’re all fine. In fact Sanji made food, and we’re ready to go eat it.”

“Food?!” Luffy’s eyes sparkled.

The darkness around them started to brighten, fading from a deep, pitch black to a dark grey. There were shapes forming around them, though their forms were still too blurry to make out. The spotlight above them dimmed, the light growing softer and more diffuse.

“Yeah, Luffy,” Sanji said, pausing to take a drag from his cigarette. “And I worked my butt off to make it so you better hurry up and get it together so we can eat.”

The shapes around the room became more distinct by the second, taking the form of racks and shelves. Ancient, dusty bottles and cans lined along them, and cobwebs connected them together. The light above them softened and dimmed until it was only a small lightbulb left cast light around the dingy basement. A staircase became visible not four feet behind Nami, only twelve steps leading to the open doorway above.

The others looked around, taking note of these changes, varying levels of happiness and victory on their faces. Judging from the light coming from the doorway above, the day was almost over, but night had not fallen yet, meaning they had been successful in saving their captain, and all of their crew was safe.

“Nami.”

Nami turned to face Luffy again. He was smiling, though Nami could see the corners of that smile strain a little bit. It wasn’t entirely genuine, but he was trying.

“I’m okay now,” he said. “You can let me go.”

She blinked. “Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yeah!” Luffy said. “I want to eat! Let’s go!”

Nami released his face. He pushed himself up onto his feet. He swayed a little bit, but laughed when Franky tried to lend him a hand.

Their captain was not entirely okay yet, but he was safe, and maybe after dinner he would feel better.

 Nami pushed herself up as well, accepting help from Usopp as she did so. Her knees were stiff from sitting on the hard stone floor, and she had to move them a little to get them to loosen up. The others got themselves up as well, and for a moment they stood in the basement, feeling satisfied and free.

“Guys!” Luffy whined. His voice was still raw and rough, but his tone was much easier. He lurched through them and grasped the railing of the stairs, turning back and looking at them expectantly.

“Come on!” he said. “Food!”

And then he took off up the steps, moving so fast they couldn’t reach him before he was out of sight.

“Luffy!” Nami and Zoro cried.

“He may get lost and end up the hotel’s victim after all,” Robin said, chuckling.

“Robin!” Usopp groaned. “Don’t say things like that!”

“Shouldn’t we get him then?” Franky asked.

Sanji was the first one to the stairs.

“If we don’t stop him he’ll eat all the food before anyone else gets any,” he shouted back as he took the stairs up, two at a time.

That got the rest of them moving; the threat of their meals being eaten by their captain always got them moving.

Nami laughed as she joined them in hurtling herself up the stairs. She listened to their squabbles and their bickering as Franky’s body wedged against the staircase’s railing and the wall, effectively blocking their patch up the steps.  

Her nakama were loud and obnoxious, but she wouldn’t have them any other way.


	12. Epilogue

“Are you ready, Nami?” Usopp asked. The large, ball-shaped shot was already resting loosely in the basket of his slingshot.

Nami spun one of the tubes of her Clima-Tact between her fingers and studied the sky thoughtfully. The electrical charge in the atmosphere made the hairs on her arms stand on end, and she could feel static crackling through her hair. She took a moment to tie it into a ponytail.

“I’d say so,” she said with a devilish smile.

The hotel sat perched on the rock some distance away. It looked innocent now, vacant and peaceful, but Nami didn’t trust that illusion for one second.

Robin couldn’t find any definitive reason for the hotel’s behavior. No records existed inside it’s library, aside from the testaments written by some of the others who had tried to escape the hotel’s dreams, and none of those had much to say about how the hotel had come to be. The only thing those records gave evidence of was many years of sailors who had struggled to escape the dream hotel.

None of them had succeeded. It wasn’t surprising, it was hard to give up the pleasures of your dreams in favor of the struggles of reality.

“Perhaps it was a devil’s fruit,” Robin had said. “Inanimate objects can eat them too. Perhaps the hotel had one that gave it the ability to manipulate dreams. But that is only a guess.”

Frankly, Nami didn’t care why the hotel worked the way it did. She just wanted it burned to the ground.

“Are you guys ready?” Nami called behind her.

The other Straw Hats gathered together on the aft deck. They sat in chairs they set up to watch the show and ate snacks courtesy of Sanji.

“Ready when you are, Nami-swan!” Sanji cooed, spinning around dramatically.

“What say you, Captain?” she said to Luffy, an eager smile on her face.

He beamed back at her and Usopp.

“Shoot it down!” he shouted loudly, punching one eager fist into the air so hard that his rubber skin stretched.

Nami nodded once and exchanged a look with Usopp. He smiled back at her, sliding his goggles into place, pulling back the basket of his slingshot. He took a moment to line up his shot.

“I’m aiming for the front door, Nami,” he said. His voice was as steady as his hands.

“Right,” Nami said, readying her Clima-Tact.

“Ready?” he said, pulling back on the basket, straining the rubber straps as he reared it back as far as he could. “FIRE.”

The bullet shot out from his slingshot, flames erupting from it as it flew through the air. Nami watched the flaming bullet as it headed for the target, Usopp’s aim was true. She tensed her grip on her Clima-Tact, her concentration never wavering. She was happy it had stopped raining, but thankful that the storm had left behind so many clouds for her to work with.

She could feel her whole body thrumming with anticipation.

“Now!” She shouted to herself, thrusting her Clima-Tact to the sky, charging up the electricity she had stored up there. It just needed one final, push, one last conductor to set off its volatile energy.

A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, shooting straight through the heart of Usopp’s firebird. The firebird exploded, sending flaming shrapnel all around the base of the hotel. Nami and Usopp watched with bated breath as the flames flickered and died down when they landed, only to soar up again as they caught against the wooden siding. One particularly large piece landed where Usopp had intended; right on the front doorstep of the hotel.

Nami and Usopp cheered, pulling each other in for a hug. Nami folded her arms around him and laughed with contentment as his fit around her. Their nakama cheered for their success, and for the flames that rose up the sides of the hotel, catching on the fuel Franky had so thoughtfully provided.

“Hey,” Usopp said against her ear. “Thank you.”

She pulled back a little, meeting his eyes.

“For what?” she asked, confused.

He smiled and absently tugged a loose strand of her hair. “Nah, never mind,” he said. “I’ll just spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

Nami started to ask him what he meant by that, but she was interrupted by the others.

“Hey! Nami, Usopp! I can’t see around you,” Luffy shouted. There were dark circles under his eyes, but he was full of as much energy as ever.

“Yeah you two!” Franky jeered. “Get a room!”

Nami and Usopp leapt apart, a blush on both of their faces. The stepped down away from the railing, joining their nakama to watch the hotel burn. Dark black smoke swirled up from the building as the fire raged, reaching up towards the sky and dispersing among the clouds. Nami watched with relief as the awning above the hotel’s door collapsed and fed the flames below.

“Franky, raise the anchor,” Nami ordered.

“Aww already?” Luffy pouted.

“You can watch it as we sail,” Nami said. “The fire will be big enough to see for miles.”

“No fun, Nami,” he pouted.

Franky chuckled. “Whatever you say, sis,” he said, getting out of his seat and making his way back towards the helm.

Nami turned back around and watched the flames as they rose up the front of the building. As she stared, she swore she could see a figure in the window, the silhouette of a person staring out at them as they went. Then the heat made the glass shatter, and the figure was gone.

Nami shuddered.

Usopp glanced at her. He gave her a half-smile, as if he understood how she felt. She wondered if he had seen it too, but she didn’t bother to ask.

She slid her hand into his, lacing their fingers together. Usopp looked at their hands and then to her with some surprise.

“Hey,” she said, “thank you too.”

“For what?” He frowned.

“Never mind.” She grinned at him before leaning back into the lawn chair and turning to watch the flames dance. “Maybe I’ll tell you later.”

She never planned to tell him how much his presence had done for her, and how much his unwavering trust in her decisions had meant. She didn’t think she could tell him if she tried. But she did intend to show him, for many years to come.

 

The end.

 

 


End file.
